Winter Storm Warning Issued for Ocean County, 4-7 Inches of Snow Expected

Forecast snow totals for the Jan. 7, 2022 snow event. (Credit: NWS)

A winter storm warning has been issued for Ocean County by the National Weather Service, with forecasters predicting 4-7 inches of snow for the local area Thursday night into Friday.

“Snowfall rates may exceed 1 inch per hour rates at times late tonight,” a warning statement said. “The heaviest snow is expected to wind down west to east around sunrise Friday.”

We can see that this shortwave has a pretty healthy jet streak driving this storm. We'll see this trough start to go into a negative tilt later tonight. pic.twitter.com/2obqzJjcAX

— NY NJ PA Weather (@nynjpaweather) January 6, 2022

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The winter storm warning is in effect from 10 p.m. Thursday night to 10 a.m. Friday morning. Travel “could be very difficult,” the statement said, and the hazardous conditions will impact the morning commute. Snowfall could reach a rate of 2-inches per hour at times, making travel virtually impossible.

According to the NWS forecast, snow will arrive mainly after 1 a.m. The overnight period will produce between 3 to 5 inches of snow, according to the forecast, while the morning period will see lighter snowfall and an additional 1-2 inches accumulating. The storm will move out of the area fairly quickly Friday, with skies turning cloudy by late morning, then gradually becoming mostly sunny with a high near 35.

⚠️❄️ Here's our latest forecast for the snow storm expected overnight into Friday morning. Much of southern NJ has been upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning, as this is the area expected to have the most significant impact to the Friday morning commute. #PAwx #NJwx #DEwx #MDwx pic.twitter.com/5krvaknclg

— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) January 6, 2022

Clear skies and a bone-chilling low of 17 degrees are forecast for Friday night.

Ocean County, in anticipation of the event, has set a delayed opening for its Covid-19 testing center Friday. The testing center located at the Ocean County College will operate from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting.