Nor'easter Creates 'Treacherous' Road Conditions: Bergen Sheriff

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton recorded a Facebook Live from Route 17 in Ridgewood Monday, where he said he was checking on road conditions he called "treacherous."

Department of Public Works crews were out working on roadways across the county, Cureton said, but he urged residents to stay home if possible.

"The roads are kind of treacherous, we don't want to see anybody get hurt," he said.

National Weather Service officials from the New York, NY office said travel could be "difficult to impossible" during the storm, and officials from across Bergen County are urging residents to stay off the road.

Ridgewood's Office of Emergency Management reported "slick" road conditions, which were likely to get worse as increased snowfall continued to decrease visibility.

"A car accident is extremely likely," officials said.

Mahwah Mayor Jim Wysocki said all township, county and state roads in the area are plowed and passable, but he also urged residents to stay home.

"Please help our Dpw, county and state workers by staying home while they clear the roads. This storm is going to get worse as the day goes on," he said.

Mahwah PBA officials posted a video of trucks working to clear a roadway in the township. It indeed shows passable roads, but slow moving traffic.

"Main roads are in decent shape but don’t be deceived by the fact you can see asphalt. The temperatures are still quite cold and the road surfaces are very slippery," PBA officials said.

Gov. Phil Murphy also told state residents to stay off the road during his Monday news conference.

"This is a big one," Murphy said.

"If you don’t need to be out, don’t go out."

Murphy said the early afternoon will be the "teeth" of the storm, and the state Department of Transportation has 3,900 pieces of equipment deployed to keep up with worsening conditions.

Municipalities across the county have also instituted parking bans to help with local road clearing efforts.

Overnight street parking is banned in Ridgewood through Tuesday night, Mayor Susan Knudsen announced. She also asked that residents stay off of roads "so plows can properly clear snow."

Glen Rock Mayor Kristine Morieko also announced an overnight parking ban on borough streets and parking lots.

Teaneck Mayor Jim Dunleavy took to Facebook to ask residents to get their cars off of roadways, adding that township personnel is "fully mobilized to combat this storm."

At least 5.5 inches of snow have fallen in Bergen County already, with as many as 9 inches reported in other portions of northeast New Jersey.

The NWS is forecasting heavy snow, with totals potentially reaching 14-22 inches bringing "near blizzard conditions" to much of the tri-state area.

Read more: Nor'easter Snowfall Totals In Bergen County

Snow is expected to continue into Tuesday, according to the NWS. Here's the forecast:

Today

Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 29. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. Blustery, with a northeast wind 20 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 10 to 16 inches possible.

Tonight

Snow before 10pm, then snow and freezing drizzle. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 28. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. Blustery, with a north wind 18 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Tuesday

Light snow likely. Cloudy, with a steady temperature around 28. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. North wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Tuesday Night

A 50 percent chance of light snow before 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 27. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. Northwest wind 10 to 14 mph.