Spring Nor’easter to Brush New Jersey with Snow

A spring nor'easter will track far enough to the east to spare New Jersey the worst of accumulating snow.

A mix of rain and snow will start to fall and change to all snow by the evening before ending early Wednesday morning.

"The best chance of a few inches will be in southern most and coastal most counties," says Townsquare meteorologist Alan Kasper.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the Jersey Shore from Monmouth County to Cape May County starting at 4 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon through 2 a.m. Wednesday morning where the snow will fall the hardest. However, because of the angle of the sun warming, accumulation on many paved surfaces will be difficult.

National Weather Service meteorologist Gary Szatkowski in the Mt. Holly office cautioned on Tuesday morning that there is still a chance the nor'easter could "nudge" to the west. "If the low tucks in closer to the coast for awhile then our impacts from the storm increase," he tweeted.

Expected snow totals from Tuesday's storm are:

• 2-4 inches in southern Ocean County, all of Atlantic, Cape May and counties
• 1-2 inches along the New Jersey Turnpike corridor including Monmouth County
• Less than an inch north of Interstate 78

As the storm moves away from the New Jersey coast the storm is expected to quickly gain strength in a process called "bombogenesis" and could have strength similar to that of a category 3 hurricane reports USA Today.

Alan Kasper says that storm movement will keep winter-like weather in New Jersey on Wednesday with strong, gusty northwest winds of 20-35 MPH gusting to over 40 MPH creating a wind chill in the teens under sunny skies. A Gale Watch has been issued along the entire shore for northeast winds up to 45 knots early Wednesday.

More than half a foot of snow is expected to hit southeastern Massachusetts Tuesday evening into Wednesday with an expected 2-4 inches. Maine could see 8-14 inches of snow.

Text WEATHER to 89000 and get the latest on the storm sent right to your phone.

MORE COVERAGE:

• Powerful spring snowstorm to slam New England / USA Today
• Early spring snowstorm to brush NJ, clobber New England / Star-Ledger

The Associated Press contributed to this report