Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Weather-weary NJ, NY residents bracing for nor'easter

Wednesday, November 7, 2012 Last updated: Wednesday November 7, 2012, 8:52 AM
The Record
 
A nor'easter carrying a nasty mix of high wind, rain and wet snow is due to arrive today and deliver another punch to an area still reeling from Hurricane Sandy.
Although this storm isn't packing the power of Sandy, it will bring sustained winds of 25 mph beginning around 1 p.m. today, with wind gusts as high as 60 mph that will last well into Thursday, the National Weather Service says. Those high winds could be enough to take down power lines — again.
“The peak winds will be tonight and stay strong through Thursday," said Lauren Nash, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Rain will gradually change over to a wintry mix later today, and higher elevations in western Passaic County and Rockland and Putnam counties can expect 1 to 3 inches of wet snow overnight.
Along the coast, the snowfall totals should be less, as little as an inch or so in eastern portions of Bergen County and New York City.
The high winds are expected to wreak havoc on power lines already weakened by the hurricane, and will stall efforts to restore power to the estimated 566,000 homes and businesses in New Jersey that as of Tuesday night were still without electricity. How much more damage will be done by the nor'easter remains to be seen.
Storm surges along the coasts of New Jersey and New York are expected to reach perhaps 3 feet, only half to a third of what Hurricane Sandy caused last week. While that should produce only minor flooding, it will still likely cause some erosion problems along the Jersey coast and the shores of Long Island, where Sandy destroyed some protective dunes.
A coastal flood watch is in effect along the Jersey shore, as well as portions of Essex County and in Manhattan. As a precaution, mandatory evacuations have been ordered of the barrier islands of Toms River in Ocean County, Middletwon Township in Monmouth County, and from Keansburg to the Atlantic Highlands from Route 36 to the Raritan Bay.
For commuters, mass transit options have been limited by the hurricane. The NJ Transit Main/Port Jervis line is operating on a modified schedule with trains originating and terminating at Hoboken Terminal, bypassing Secaucus. The Bergen, Pascack Valley, Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton lines remain suspended.
Bus passengers are advised to allow for extra travel time due to overcrowding, and air travelers are advised to call ahead to determine flight status. The good news is that once the nor'easter clears out, warmer, drier weather is on the way for the weekend.

pg 2 available on line.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/state/Weather-weary_NJ_residents_bracing_for_noreaster.html

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