Nor’easter Impacts In Hillsborough: Closures, Outages

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — A "major" nor'easter hit the Hillsborough area on Wednesday, producing heavy snow and causing closures and outages across Somerset 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.

The storm was fierce enough to close schools and more is expected to arrive overnight and into Thursday (see the forecast below).

Outages

JCP&L is reporting 24 customers are without power in Hillsborough and a total of 41 customers in Somerset County as of 8 p.m. Power is expected to be restored by 11 p.m. Wednesday.

Schools

Hillsborough Township Public Schools will be closed Thursday due to the winter storm. There will be no instruction neither in-person nor remote. Read More: Snow Day Called For Hillsborough Schools On Thursday

Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools in Bridgewater and Immaculate Conception School, Somerville both also canceled school for Thursday. There will be no in-person or remote classes.

Raritan Valley Community College also switched all classes and campus offices to remote starting at 1 p.m. on Wednesday and continue all day Thursday.

Coronavirus Testing

Somerset County's Coronavirus Drive-Thru testing at Raritan Valley Community College has been postponed due to the anticipated snowstorm. Read More: Snow Postpones Somerset County Coronavirus Drive-Thru Testing

Testing originally scheduled on Wednesday has been postponed until Friday. Residents who were registered to be tested on Wednesday have been notified of the change. Appointment times remain the same.

Snow Total

The National Weather Service has issued snow totals (in inches) for Hillsborough. As of 5:30 p.m. 1.8

Here were the expected snow totals:

Hillsborough Township sent out a bulletin on winter storm reminders to residents on Tuesday:

• In the event you experience a loss of power, contact your power company directly and report the outage. Do not assume that the outage has already been reported. JCP&L: 888-544-4877 and PSE&G 800-436-7734.
• Do not touch or attempt to move downed power lines.
• Do not operate generators inside your residence nor your garage; use only outdoors.
• If you are using candles, ensure they are not placed by any flammable material and remain attended to while lit. Extinguish candles when leaving a room.
• If using space heaters, ensure they are placed in a safe location away from flammable materials and walls.
• 911 is for Emergency use only. For nonemergencies, call 908-369-4323.
• On-street parking is prohibited during the storm.
• All residents are encouraged to remain at home, but if you need to venture out, please allow extra travel time to allow for safe arrival at your destination.
• Do not place trash cans or recycling cans out until the plows have passed. If you must put them out, place them well back from the curb line so the plows or projected snow does not hit them. Remove empty cans as soon as possible.

State officials said they have more than 400 pieces of road equipment available to make the roads safe, even though fewer people are taking to the roads because of the coronavirus outbreak.

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.

Here is the forecast:

A winter storm warning remains in effect for Hillsborough through Thursday around 10 a.m.

Wednesday Night: Snow before 2 a.m., then snow and sleet between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., then snow after 3 a.m. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 24. Blustery, with a northeast wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Total nighttime snow and sleet accumulation of 6 to 10 inches possible.

Thursday: Snow likely, mainly before 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 20 mph decreasing to 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16. North wind around 5 mph.

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