Wintry Weather Hits Tri-State Area; Black Ice A Concern For Tuesday Night
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Crews were out treating highways and plowing roads Tuesday as snow fell in parts of the Tri-State Area.
The snow began early in the morning, and in parts of our area, roughly four inches fell, forcing some residents in New Jersey to break out their shovels in the afternoon.
1010 WINS' Al Jones Reports
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A big concern heading into the evening hours, with temperatures continuing to dip, was black ice. Forecasters were urging drivers to be careful.
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There was measurable snow in parts of the region. West Milford, N.J., saw six inches, while Butler, N.J.,and Greenville, N.Y., both got about four inches. Ramapo, N.Y., and Danbury, Conn., received 1.6 and 1.5 inches, respectively, as of early Tuesday evening.
CBS 2's Elise Finch said areas north and west of New York City would have received 2-5 inches of snow by the time the system moved out of the area, with possibly less than an inch of additional accumulation.
However, for many portions of the area it was an all-rain event because the ground was too warm.
You may not have seen snow in your neighborhood, but some northwest New Jersey residents were left digging out.
Snow -- sometimes lots of it -- is something residents and even their pets are used to in Sparta.
CBS 2's Christine Sloan Reports From Sparta
"I am looking forward to a very severe winter. This thing is probably going to be the most severe winter we've had in quite some time. I'm hoping for about 200 inches of snow or more," Edgar Shepard told CBS 2's Christine Sloan.
Shepard said he is well-prepared for the winter and Hurricane Sandy gave him a head start.
"I make sure I have food storage. I have additional fuel on hand. I can heat my home with electric, natural gas or wood. I make bio-diesel in small quantities," he said.
As the temperatures continued to dip Tuesday night, black ice was beginning to become a big concern for drivers.
CBS 2's Derricke Dennis was in Mobile 2 driving on Route 17 near Paramus, where he reported salt trucks were pre-treating roads because of the threat of icing.
CBS 2's Derricke Dennis Reports From Mobile 2
In New York City, the Department of Sanitation had issued a snow alert for Tuesday with crews loading salt spreaders to treat roads and taking other precautions if needed.
A winter weather advisory was in effect until 7 p.m. for Sussex, Morris, Somerset, Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.
In an attempt to minimize delays, ensure service reliability and give customers additional travel options, NJ TRANSIT continued to offer system-wide cross-honoring on Tuesday.
Customers were be able to use their tickets or passes on buses, trains and light rail.
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