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County braces for winter storm
In the face of an impending snowstorm, Mercer County and its townships have started gearing up.
The National Weather Service has forecast between four and five inches of snow overnight in the Trenton area, according to meteorologist Patrick O’Hara at the agency’s Mount Holly office.
He said they have revised their predictions for as much as nine inches because “much of the heaviest precipitation has stayed offshore.”
O’Hara said the farther north, the worse the storm will be. Morris and Somerset counties could see eight inches or more , he said. The Boston area, along with much of New England, has a forecast for more than a foot of snow.
He said much of the snow will have finished falling by Saturday morning and likely melt by early next week.
County spokeswoman Julie Wilmot said the county will salt and sand when it can to keep more than 475 lane miles of county roads clear. She said almost four dozen pieces of equipment, including plows, trucks and snow cats, would be on the road.
“We’re going to try and get them in the roads in the hours before really heavy bands,” she said. “We’re just keeping an eye on the storm.”
Several county facilities have already announced reduced hours or closures, she said.
Those include the County Connection office in Hamilton, which will stay closed Saturday, and the Equestrian Center, which will open at noon. Further updates can be found on the county website.
Hamilton Business Administrator John Ricci said crews, working in shifts, will start plowing township roads once the snow reaches about three inches.
He said should the snow start reaching past half a foot, they’ll get “everybody in public works eligible to drive a piece of equipment” onto the roads to help keep them clear.
The town, he said, won’t be able to salt or brine roads because the rain will wash it away before it could do any good.
“The roads are obviously messy and we’d prefer people stay off the roads as much as possible,” he said.
The forecasts have varied from as little as two inches to as much as nine inches of snow overnight. Ricci said he was hopeful it would stay on the lighter side.
“Hopefully it is going in the right direction and we’re going to get less snow,” he said.
The National Weather Service has forecast between four and five inches of snow overnight in the Trenton area, according to meteorologist Patrick O’Hara at the agency’s Mount Holly office.
He said they have revised their predictions for as much as nine inches because “much of the heaviest precipitation has stayed offshore.”
O’Hara said the farther north, the worse the storm will be. Morris and Somerset counties could see eight inches or more , he said. The Boston area, along with much of New England, has a forecast for more than a foot of snow.
He said much of the snow will have finished falling by Saturday morning and likely melt by early next week.
County spokeswoman Julie Wilmot said the county will salt and sand when it can to keep more than 475 lane miles of county roads clear. She said almost four dozen pieces of equipment, including plows, trucks and snow cats, would be on the road.
“We’re going to try and get them in the roads in the hours before really heavy bands,” she said. “We’re just keeping an eye on the storm.”
Several county facilities have already announced reduced hours or closures, she said.
Those include the County Connection office in Hamilton, which will stay closed Saturday, and the Equestrian Center, which will open at noon. Further updates can be found on the county website.
Hamilton Business Administrator John Ricci said crews, working in shifts, will start plowing township roads once the snow reaches about three inches.
He said should the snow start reaching past half a foot, they’ll get “everybody in public works eligible to drive a piece of equipment” onto the roads to help keep them clear.
The town, he said, won’t be able to salt or brine roads because the rain will wash it away before it could do any good.
“The roads are obviously messy and we’d prefer people stay off the roads as much as possible,” he said.
The forecasts have varied from as little as two inches to as much as nine inches of snow overnight. Ricci said he was hopeful it would stay on the lighter side.
“Hopefully it is going in the right direction and we’re going to get less snow,” he said.
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