Storm Impacts In Montclair: State Of Emergency, Parking, Pets

This article was updated at 2:15 p.m. on Dec. 17.

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair was among the New Jersey towns that made preparations and battened down the hatches in the face of a nor'easter predicted to cause heavy winds, snow and rain.

The National Weather Service labeled the "major" system a "nor'easter" since it was expected to produce strong, sustained damaging winds and precipitation over a 24-hour period on Wednesday and Thursday. The storm was fierce enough to knock down power lines and cause power outages, forecasters said.

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy issued a state of emergency for New Jersey as some forecasters said a foot of snow may be headed to some areas of the state. Other areas could get winds as strong as 60-mph and heavy rain. READ MORE: Gov. Murphy Declares State Of Emergency For NJ Nor'easter Snow

MONTCLAIR STATE OF EMERGENCY

In response, the Montclair Office of Emergency Management (OEM) declared a local state of emergency, which took effect at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

Nonessential travel and on-street parking was prohibited for all vehicles for the duration of the state of emergency. The nonessential travel ban didn't apply to Township of Montclair municipal employees traveling to, from, or in the course of municipal government work.

Montclair OEM officials said:

"Residents are reminded that parking on snow-covered streets is prohibited by ordinance 327-25. The no parking prohibition remains in effect for a period of 12 hours after snowfall has stopped in order to facilitate snow removal operations. Police will be ticketing and towing vehicles parked on streets during this period. Residents may park their vehicles free of charge in municipal lots and decks from 1 p.m. [Wednesday] until streets have been cleared of snow. The exception is the municipal lot at 205 Claremont Avenue – residents may park their cars in that lot from 4:30 p.m. [Wednesday].

A notice will go out to provide vehicle owners a six-hour window for removing their vehicles from the lots and decks, once the streets have been cleared, Montclair OEM officials said.

The state of emergency continued into Thursday, with Montclair officials reminding residents not to dump recently shoveled snow into the streets.

Montclair officials said:

"Montclair Community Services crews work around the clock to clear snow from our streets. Residents and business owners are reminded not to undo all this hard work by depositing snow from your property or sidewalks into the street. Not only does this hinder township efforts to keep roadways cleared, it is illegal."

According to Montclair town officials:

"Snow blowing and shoveling snow from walkways, driveways and sidewalks into the streets, plowing driveways into the streets, cleaning snow off of vehicles into the street is prohibited per township ordinance 297-33. Please make sure your contractors are aware of the law when they clear snow from your property. Please remember to clear sidewalks of ice and snow in front of your property. Ordinance 297-32 requires property owners to clear the full paved width of the sidewalk or a minimum of 48 inches wide in order to ensure the safety of pedestrians using the sidewalks. In addition, property owners whose sidewalk leads to a crosswalk must remove snow and ice to provide a clear path of access to the crosswalk (ordinance 297-31). All snow, slush and ice must be removed from sidewalks within 12 hours of daylight after snowfall has ended."

Montclair code enforcement officials will be writing summonses to those who disregard the ordinances, authorities said.

The state of emergency was rescinded on Thursday afternoon.

"Vehicle owners will have until 8 a.m. on Friday, December 18 to remove their vehicles from municipal parking lots and decks ... the 8 a.m. deadline will be enforced," Montclair officials said.

COUNTY ROADS

Live on a county-maintained road in Montclair? Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. and Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura asked that residents refrain from parking on those streets from Wednesday to Thursday.

The pair of officials stated:

“Keeping the roads open will make it easier to remove snow and enable public works crews to plow from curb to curb. Weather forecasts indicate a significant snowstorm will arrive Wednesday afternoon and continue through Thursday morning. The heavy snow may cause tree limbs and electrical to break.”

DiVincenzo and Fontoura warned residents to not touch live wires or drive near them.

MONTCLAIR PREPARES FOR STORM

In Montclair, the Human Needs Food Pantry will be closing on Thursday due to the prediction of bad weather.

“We hope everyone stays safe during this serious weather event,” the food pantry stated.

The Montclair Public Library was also closed on Thursday due to the storm.

Meanwhile, the Montclair Township Animal Shelter offered a DIY hack for pet owners with furry friends who hate snow.

ACROSS NEW JERSEY

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 is 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 is warning 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.

The latest weather forecast includes:

• Wednesday night- Rain and snow, then rain after midnight. The rain, snow, and sleet could be heavy at times. Low around 29. Windy, with an east wind 25 to 30 mph decreasing to 20 to 25 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation expected.
• Thursday - Snow likely, mainly before 9 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Breezy, with a north wind 20 to 25 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New snow accumulation of less than a half-inch possible.

This article contains reporting by Tom Davis, Patch staff

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