By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton and the rest of Mercer County can expect 5 to 7 inches of snow from a storm expected to begin early Thursday morning and last through the commute to work and beyond, the National Weather Service said., The storm will start as rain around midnight and later turn into a mix of snow and rain before turning into all snow around 4 a.m. to 5 a.m., said meteorologist Lance Franck of the Mount Holly forecast office. It’s expected to be a heavy, wet snow, he said, in raising the possibility of downed tree limbs and power lines. Forecasters also are calling for a brisk north, northwest wind, with gusts up to 30 miles per hour., At its most intense, the snow could be falling at a rate of one to two inches per hour, he said. Along with temperatures dropping from Wednesday’s spring-like weather, that increases the possibility of accumulation. The Weather Service has said there would be “isolated snow showers” later Thursday, “before 9 p.m.”, This will be the first major snow storm that municipal road departments in the region will have to face this season. Princeton director of infrastructure and operations Robert Hough said Wednesday that the town is “loaded with salt” to treat roads, and will have about 30 vehicles available to clear the snow., Princeton police warned motorists to keep their cars off the roads in a “snow emergency” to give plows room to work. Trash collection was canceled on Thursday and pushed back to Friday., As for the school district, a message on Wednesday to parents, students and staff from Superintendent of Schools Stephen C. Cochrane said they should prepare for the possibility of schools being closed A decision will be made no later than 5 a.m., Parents can check the district’s website and social media accounts and nj1015.com or call the district at (609) 806-4202 to see if schools are closed or on a delayed opening.
