Bad Weather In The Caldwells, Officials Say: Schools, Roads, Snow

CALDWELLS, NJ — Bad weather may be on the way, forecasters say. And the Caldwells are among the towns preparing for an early winter storm that’s predicted to cause problems across New Jersey.

In some parts of the state, forecasters are calling for as much as a foot of snow on Monday and early Tuesday. The forecast for the Caldwells was more modest, with the National Weather Service predicting daytime snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches and nighttime snow accumulation of an extra 2 to 4 inches.

Schools in the Caldwell-West Caldwell, West Essex Regional and North Caldwell districts were closed on Monday.

Caldwell University closed Monday at noon. All afternoon and evening classes and activities were cancelled.

On Monday, town officials in Caldwell warned residents about potentially hazardous road conditions due to the pending snow storm.

Officials released the following advisory on Dec. 2:

“The Borough of Caldwell and the Caldwell Police Department would like to inform our residents of the hazardous road conditions due to the pending snow storm. We urge all our residents to please stay at home and not to brave these hazardous conditions unless it is a dire emergency that you must travel out on these roadways. Also, we urge all residents not to park your vehicles in the roadway overnight or during the snow storm so the roads can be cleared properly as per our Borough Ordinance 230-37, ‘Parking on snow-covered streets prohibited.’

“As a reminder, the Borough Ordinance for the clearing of sidewalks and walkways is listed below: § 207-8 Removal of snow and ice; time limit. [Amended 2-24-2004 by Ord. No. 1139-04; 5-6-2014 by Ord. No. 1290-14] The owner of lands abutting the public streets of the Borough shall remove or cause t o be removed from abutting sidewalks of said lands: A. If the land is used for commercial purposes, all snow and ice within four hours after the same shall have accumulated thereon, or by 12:00 noon, whichever is later. B. If the land is used for residential purposes, all snow and ice within eight hours after the same shall have accumulated thereon, or by 8:00 p.m., whichever is later.

“We would also like to remind residents not to clear snow from sidewalks or driveways into the public roadways as per our Borough Ordinance: § 207-9 Formation of banks and mounds. [Amended 7-13-1999 by Ord. No. 1073-99; 5-6-2014 by Ord. No. 1290-14] A. No person owning property within the Borough shall allow any snow or ice to be removed from any driveway owned by said person or from any sidewalk abutting a public street and placed or deposited in any public street or upon any public sidewalk within the Borough. B. An owner of property from which snow or ice is removed from any driveway or sidewalk in violation of Subsection A shall be responsible for the violation and subject to the provisions of §§ 207-10 and 207-11.

“Please keep in mind that fire hydrants near your residence should be cleared from snow in case of emergency.

“As the day moves on and the night falls upon us, the temperatures will drop to low levels which will cause freezing and create an even more hazardous travelling condition.

“Please allow our Department of Public Works and the County of Essex to clear the roadways and make them safe for travel.

“In addition, this amount of snow and possible freezing rain and ice may cause problems with fallen trees or limbs, downed power lines and power outages. We encourage residents to prepare themselves for this possibility and to report any problems to the Caldwell Police Department. Please be mindful of your neighbors and pets as they may need assistance during and after this storm.

“We encourage residents to prepare themselves for this possibility and to report any problems to the Caldwell Police Department. Please be mindful of your neighbors and pets as they may need assistance during and after this storm.”

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