N.J. weather: Snow potential from weekend winter storm ranges from 0 to 6 inches

Big questions linger over a winter storm that’s expected to move across the eastern U.S. this Sunday, with some forecasters saying New Jersey might get brushed with a very light coating of snow and others saying there’s a potential for as much as 3 to 6 inches of snow.

Earlier today, the National Weather Service said the storm system developing in the southwestern U.S. this weekend will likely move too far south of the Garden State and be too weak to pose a snow threat to our region. Although the agency has not yet weighed in with any official snowfall estimates, it says the latest guidance now favors the storm moving closer to our region, so there could be more widespread snow than had been expected — even as far north as New York City.

UPDATE: In an afternoon forecast update, the weather service’s Mount Holly office said confidence is increasing that “accumulating snow is on the table Sunday afternoon/ evening,” because of the storm track and cold air pushing in from the Northwest.

“The greatest potential for higher accumulations are for areas along the I-95 corridor and points north and west, where the initial forecast calls for 2-4″ of snow” through early Monday morning. “Lesser amounts upwards of 1-2″ are forecast near coastal areas through the same timeframe.”

Forecasters from AccuWeather think the storm system will move close enough to New Jersey to bring anywhere from “a coating (of snow) in some areas to as much as a few inches” from Sunday afternoon into Sunday night.

One private forecaster from New Jersey, Steven DiMartino, says the storm system appears to be shaping up into “a light to moderate snowfall event” for much of New Jersey and the New York metro area.

DiMartino, who heads the NY NJ PA Weather forecasting company, says he can’t rule out the possibility of 3 to 6 inches of snow in central and southern New Jersey, with some mixed precipitation in coastal areas.

He also said the snow or icy mix could potentially impact playing conditions at the Philadelphia Eagles’ home playoff game Sunday afternoon.

News 12 New Jersey is predicting 1 to 3 inches of snow across much of the southern half of the Garden State on Sunday, but notes the forecast is highly dependent on the storm’s track and strength.

“There could be moderate impacts in South Jersey with light 1-3″ of snowfall as the storm cuts the coast and southern zones,“ News 12 said in a forecast post. ”A few moments of light snow for central and northern NJ cannot be ruled out fully – yet, but the snow chances are very low in the northern areas.”

Light snow falling Thursday

Light snow from a different storm system, one that’s coming from the Midwest, is falling in parts of New Jersey Thursday afternoon and is expected to taper off between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Only a light coating — less than 1 inch — is predicted, but forecasters say some roads could become slick, so they are urging drivers to remain cautious.

Current weather radar

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Len Melisurgo may be reached at [email protected] or on X at @LensReality.