By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Winter storm Stella brought less snow to Princeton and the region than forecasters had thought, with accumulation totals expected to reach around six inches when the storm ends later this afternoon, the National Weather Service said Tuesday., The storm system, which has dropped more than a foot of snow in the northern part of the state, tracked closer to the coast and was warmer, said meteorologist Mitchell Gaines on Tuesday. In, Princeton, that meant snow totals of around 4 inches so far, far less than the expected blizzard was supposed to bring to the region, of some 14 to 20 inches., “It’s more icy than snow,” said municipal director of emergency management Robert Gregory., He said roads are slick but passable, with no motor vehicle accidents. Mayor Liz Lempert urged motorists to stay off the roads to let crews do their jobs., Although the storm is due to end later today, snow showers are forecast for Tuesday night into Wednesday, Gaines said. There is also a chance of rain and snow Friday night into Saturday, he added., As of around noon, there were no reported power outages in Princeton, Mayor Lempert said. PSE&G spokeswoman Karen Johnson said there are fewer than five customers in Mercer County without power. Overall, there are 16,000 customers statewide without power, most of whom are in the southern part of the state., NJ Transit said its bus service was suspended Tuesday and train service is operating on a weekend schedule., In Princeton, schools and municipal government offices were closed for the day. Mayor Lempert said the town would decide later this afternoon whether to open government offices Wednesday., Superintendent of Schools Stephen C. Cochrane said there was no decision “yet” about schools being open or not on Wednesday., “I will likely join the other Mercer County superintendents in making a decision later tonight,” he said., At Princeton University, morning classes were cancelled, but afternoon and evening classes will go on as scheduled, said university spokesman John Cramer. The school was closed for non-essential employees, he said., The university men’s basketball team did not let the storm get in the way of its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2011. The Tigers left yesterday for and arrived in Buffalo, the site of its first round game against Notre Dame on Thursday, the school said.
