Nor'easter Impacts In Camden County: Snow Totals, Closures

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — A "major" nor'easter started to hit Camden County on Wednesday, producing more than six inches of snow followed by rain in some parts of the county.

The National Weather Service labeled the "major" system a "nor'easter" since it's expected to produce strong, sustained damaging winds and precipitation over a 24-hour period on Wednesday.

Snow began falling at about 1 p.m. Wednesday, as the region braced for a major nor’easter storm.
Virtually no power outages had been reported as of Monday evening, and there had not yet been any major incidents on Camden County roads.

Here are some snow totals in Camden County as of 10 p.m.:

• Cherry Hill 6.5 in 0615 PM 12/16 Public
• Haddon Heights 5.2 in 0600 PM 12/16 Public
• Gloucester City 5.0 in 0540 PM 12/16 Public
• Oaklyn 5.0 in 0650 PM 12/16 Trained Spotter
• Magnolia 4.5 in 0750 PM 12/16 Public
• Berlin 4.0 in 0900 PM 12/16 Public
• Haddonfield 4.0 in 0627 PM 12/16 Public
• Pennsauken 3.8 in 0713 PM 12/16 Trained Spotter
• 1 N West Berlin 3.5 in 0515 PM 12/16 NWS Employee
• Blackwood 2.9 in 0421 PM 12/16 Public
• Lindenwold 2.8 in 0515 PM 12/16 Trained Spotter
• Haddon Township 1.2 in 0350 PM 12/16 NWS Employee
• 2 SW Chesilhurst 1.0 in 0254 PM 12/16 Public

The Camden County Library System canceled Wednesday’s evening hours for no-contact pickup, according to county officials. Camden County College offered all courses and services online for the rest of the day.

Based on coronavirus restrictions, the senior citizen snow removal program is not in operation this year, officials said.

“Today’s nor'easter is the first big storm of the year to bring snow, sleet and rain to our area. Motorists should be prepared for slick road conditions this afternoon,” Camden County Freeholder Al Dyer, liaison to the department of public works, said. “The snowfall is expected to become moderate to heavy through sunset before changing over to sleet tonight. With temperatures holding around the freezing point, icy roadways will continue to be a concern through Thursday morning.”

More than 100 pieces of equipment and 100 employees have been deployed from the Public Works complex in Lindenwold to Camden County’s 12 winter maintenance districts. The county’s response plan calls for crews to be dispatched only to the zones where they are needed.

“At this point this is the first real accumulation of snow the county has experienced in 654 days. During this winter weather event, if you can, please avoid being out on the roads during the storm to give our crews the ability to do their job. If you must be on the road, please be cautious and leave at leave six car lengths behind our CCDPW vehicles,” Dyer said. “Please move any cars off the street and into a driveway and remember that it is illegal in New Jersey to plow or shovel snow from private property into roadways.”

Camden County announced on Wednesday that it will keep its six coronavirus testing sites open despite the weather. They will do all they can to ensure that the sites are free of snow and ice. Read more here: Camden County To Keep COVID Test Sites Open Despite Storms

The county also issued a Code Blue Weather Emergency on Monday that will be in effect from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. each night this week, through Thursday.

When the Camden County Health Officer declares a Code Blue, municipalities with homeless populations, situational homeless or transient populations are expected to activate their Code Blue response plan to accommodate their immediate needs.

The Camden County Health Department and the Office of Emergency Management have worked with each municipality to ensure they have the proper resources to respond to these severe weather situations as part of their individual Code Blue plans.

Each municipality has identified its own location to accommodate those in their community seeking shelter from the severe weather. Anyone seeking shelter in a warming center should contact their local municipality. The new after-hours Code Blue Emergency Hotline phone number is 2-1-1

Additional resources are available by calling the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services at 800-999-9045, or by visiting www.camdencounty.com.

Gov. Phil Murphy issued a state of emergency for New Jersey, which was to start at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. The declaration triggers executive powers and safeguards, such as imposing shutdowns prohibiting excessive price increases. He also provided the latest details on the storm. Read more: Gov. Murphy Declares State Of Emergency For NJ Nor'easter Snow

Here is the updated forecast for Camden County:

Thursday
A chance of snow, mainly before 7am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 35. North wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday
Sunny, with a high near 33. North wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 17.

In the event that the weather causes downed trees and isolated power outages, immediately call your utility company, so they can identify the location and coordinate crews to restore your power. Any storm has the potential to bring down trees and power lines, so residents need to be extra cognizant of any power failures. Below are numbers and contact info for the two power providers in Camden County:

1. PSE&G: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734)
2. PSEG website: http://pseg.com/home/customer_service/outage_info/index.jsp
3. Atlantic City Electric: 1-800-833-7476
4. Atlantic City Electric website: http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
5. South Jersey Gas: 1-800-582-7060
6. South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/

Residents should call 911 for emergencies only. Anyone who sees a problem on a county road is asked to call the county’s 24-hour hotline at 856-566-2980 to report it to the department of public works.

“Besides snow removal the team at DPW is also prepared to clear any trees that may fall during this winter weather event,” Dyer said. “All chainsaws and chippers have been prepared for use and stand at the ready to ensure county roads stay clear.”

AccuWeather was saying the system could be the "most significant winter storm in several years," one that could potentially become highly impactful and disruptive as the first round of coronavirus vaccines continue to be shipped around the country.

AccuWeather warned of major disruptions to travel and even travel shutdowns, as well as shipping delays, school closings and power outages from this "blockbuster storm," — even though a number of New Jersey school districts have said they'll opt to go remote instead of closing.