By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton and Mercer County appeared Thursday to avoid the worst of a snowstorm that was more intense in the northern part of the state and into New York., An estimated five inches of snow fell in town, according to the municipality as of a little past 11 a.m. That compares to eight to 10 inches in parts of Sussex County., National Weather Service meteorologist Lance Franck, at the Mount Holly Forecast Office, said Thursday that the storm was expected to wind down by noon, with the area to see snow showers and flurries. The weekend is expected to bring warmer weather, with temperatures into the 40s on Saturday and into the 50s on Sunday, he said., Robert Gregory, municipal director of emergency management, said Thursday that there were no serious motor vehicle accidents in town, even though roadways were slick. He said there was a car accident on Cherry Valley Road a little before 10 a.m. and some other “minor fender benders.”, “Things went pretty smooth this morning,” he said., Utility PSE&G reported 217 customers were without power in its entire service area, with fewer than five of those in Mercer, PSE&G spokeswoman Brooke Houston said Thursday., Forecasts for Thursday’s storm called for heavy, wet snow, leading to concerns of falling tree limbs taking out power lines. But she said the utility is not seeing the damage it was worried about., As for getting around, NJ Transit reported 15-minute-delays system wide and said Thursday morning it was too soon to say what kind of impact there would be on commuters during the evening rush hour out of Penn Station New York., Public schools were closed Thursday. Princeton University said the university was closed except for essential personnel, and that classes would be held “as scheduled.”
