3rd NJ Nor'easter Now Expected, And Forecast Could Get Worse: NWS

UPDATE: NJ Nor'easter: Latest Snow Estimates, Winter Weather Advisory

New Jersey should get its third nor'easter in 10 days, and the forecast keeps getting worse. A storm that initially was expected to essentially miss the region has shifted its track to the west, and now it's expected to impact the entire state Monday and Tuesday.

"It will be a nor'easter," said Joe Miketta, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

The storm could pack enough of a wallop to cause schools to close or delay openings on Tuesday. Read more: New Jersey School Closings/Delays List For 3/13/18

The storm, which could carry 45-mph winds, comes just as more than 15,000 customers still don't have power and some roads are still closed following the past two destructive nor'easters. Most of the outages that remain are in Bergen, Morris, Somerset, Union and Essex counties.

The NWS has issued a hazardous weather outlook for the entire state, saying the rapidly intensifying storm will probably impact New Jersey with 3-4 inches of snow beginning late Monday afternoon and lasting into Tuesday morning.

Miketta said the only question is how strong the storm will be. Since the storm is tracking westward, he expects that the estimated snow totals could rise over the next 24 hours.

The National Weather Service offered two possible scenarios. The state could get no more than an inch if the storm pushes back out the sea. But if the trend continues, parts of the state could get as many as 11 inches.

The National Weather Service also provided some points for what could happen, and how the forecast could get worse:

AccuWeather says the storm is expected to rapidly strengthen Monday night into Tuesday, potentially becoming a "bomb cyclone," a storm that resembles a hurricane but is not nearly as strong.

While the strongest and most damaging winds should remain offshore, the storm is still anticipated to track close enough to threaten the coast with gusty winds and coastal flooding and spread disruptive snow from the southern mid-Atlantic to New England, according to AccuWeather.

As the snow spreads across the southern mid-Atlantic on Monday, winds will increase along the coast from North Carolina to New Jersey, according to AccuWeather. Minor coastal flooding may result at high tide.

Here is the forecast:

• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 45. Northwest wind around 7 mph.
• Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph after midnight.
• Monday: A slight chance of snow before 2pm, then a chance of rain between 2pm and 5pm, then a chance of rain and snow after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. Northeast wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
• Monday night: Snow, mainly after 8pm. Low around 32. North wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
• Tuesday: A chance of snow before 1pm, then a chance of rain showers. Cloudy, with a high near 43. Northwest wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
• Tuesday night: A chance of rain showers before 7pm, then a chance of flurries. Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Wednesday: Scattered snow showers before 1pm, then scattered rain showers between 1pm and 5pm, then scattered rain and snow showers after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 42. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Wednesday night: Scattered snow showers before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Princeton police photo