The declaration authorizes the State Director of Emergency Management to activate preparation, response and recovery efforts with all county and municipal emergency operations and governmental agencies.
As part of the State of Emergency, all state offices will be closed on Friday, January 3rd for all non-essential employees. All state courthouses are also closed Friday.
In a statement released Thursday evening, the governor said, "The impending weather conditions over the next several days will produce a variety of dangerous travel conditions throughout the state … I've authorized state officials to take all necessary action in advance of the storm, and my Administration will continue monitoring conditions throughout the remainder of the storm. I encourage all New Jerseyans to stay off the roads if possible so that our first responders and public safety officials can safely respond to any emergency situations."
Snow is expected to spread across the state Thursday evening through Friday afternoon, bringing significant accumulation, low visibility and frigid temperatures.
Most of the state is under a winter storm warning. The National Weather Service says strong winds and dangerously cold wind chills could accompany the storm and there could be near-blizzard conditions at times in parts of the state. New Jersey Transit is cross-honoring all tickets Thursday and Friday.
---
Information provided by the Associated Press was used in this article.
