NJ’s big snowstorm weekend: How it’s looking in Montclair (photos, forecast, advisories)
Most of this weekend's big storm — which dropped more than 15 inches of snow on some parts of the Garden State — is behind us, but a little bit of snow could still be ahead for Montclair.
The National Weather Service predicts a 50% chance of snow for Saturday afternoon, and a 30% chance in the evening. Montclair had seen just about 4 inches of snow by around 8 a.m. Saturday, according to the NWS.
Temperatures for the remainder of Saturday were expected to remain around 19 degrees in the daytime, and get down to as little as 7 degrees at night. Wild chills could reach as low as -10.
Sunday, the NWS predicts sunny weather, with a high near 24, but wind chill values still potentially as low as -10. Sunday night should be partly cloudy, with a low around 13 degrees, and west winds starting to calm.
There are several options in Montclair for those who need to get out of the cold, with hours varying by service. Essex County additionally activated its Code Blue alerts this weekend, providing for shelter at several facilities in Newark and Irvington.
Baristanet Saturday reported a salt truck had struck and downed a streetlight on Bloomfield Avenue, at North Willow Street. Township spokeswoman Katya Wowk said she'd been told the vehicle would have been an Essex County truck, as Bloomfield Avenue is a county road. Montclair Local has reached out to county officials for details and is awaiting a response.
Mid-day Saturday, a speed restriction of 35 mph remained in effect on the New Jersey Turnpike's Hudson County Extension in both directions, from exit 14 in Newark to the Holland Tunnel. The state issues traffic alerts at NJ511.org. It also issues its own emergency alerts and shares information on resources at ready.nj.gov.
NJ Transit had suspended its bus, River Line and Access Link services Saturday, planning to resume service once conditions allowed. Rail service remained on regular weekend schedules while conditions allowed. Cross-honoring was in effect for all rail, light rail, NJ Transit bus and private carriers. Updates will continue to be posted at NJTransit.com.
DeCamp cancelled its bus services Saturday.
Parking on snow-covered streets is prohibited by township ordinance 327-25. The no-parking prohibition remains in effect for a period of 12 hours after snowfall has stopped in order to facilitate snow removal.
Montclair residents can park their vehicles free of charge in municipal lots and the Crescent and Bay Street decks from 4 p.m. Friday until streets have been cleared of snow.
The township reminded property owners in an alert Saturday that snow shouldn't be shoveled into the streets; doing so is illegal under township ordinance 297-33. But property owners are asked to clear sidewalks of ice and snow in front of their properties. Township codes require a path of at least 48 inches wide to be clear. In addition, property owners whose sidewalks lead to crosswalks must remove snow and ice to provide access to the crosswalks as well.
Montclair residents and business can report any power outages to PSE&G by calling 800-436-PSEG (7734) or going to nj.pseg.com/outageandgasleaks. Power outage maps are on PSE&G’s site as well. Residents can also register for My Aerts with PSE&G to report outages by text message and to receive updates. As of mid-day Saturday, no outagegs in Montclair were reported.
— Louis C. Hochman