The Latest: 8 inches on the ground in states, more forecast

Road crews on Monday were busy around New Jersey as a winter storm packing strong winds dumps heavy snow around much of the state

Winter Weather Pennsylvania (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

11:15 a.m.

TRENTON, N.J. — Road crews on Monday were busy around New Jersey as a winter storm packing strong winds dumps heavy snow around much of the state.

Trained spotters reported an inch of snow fell in Cape May County by late Monday morning, and there were 8 to 10 inches in areas of Hunterdon, Morris and Sussex counties, the National Weather Service said.

Gov. Phil Murphy on Sunday declared a state of emergency in order to deploy resources as needed. Murphy also closed all state government offices for nonessential personnel and the state’s six mega sites that distribute COVID-19 vaccines.

All New Jersey Transit trains and buses were suspended, except for the Atlantic City Rail Line. New York Waterway ferries also were suspended. Speed limits were also reduced on many major highways, and numerous spinouts and accidents were being reported.

A winter storm warning remained in effect until Tuesday for much of the state. Forecasters were predicting Sussex, Warren and Morris counties in the north could see additional snow accumulations of 16 to 22 inches.

The central part of the state could get an additional 10 to 15 inches.

___

10:50 a.m.

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said the storm is not impacting the delivery of vaccines to Connecticut. During a morning news conference, he said most vaccinations scheduled for Monday are being postponed, but he’s not concerned that any vaccine will go to waste.

“The vaccines, kept refrigerated, are good for eight to 10 days, so that’s not a problem,” he said. “And if this is three or four weeks since your first vaccination, if it gets put off a few days, don’t worry. It will still stay very effective.”

Lamont noted that while many schools closed on Monday, he expects them to be back in session soon because all of them are now set up for remote learning as a result of the pandemic.

“I’m probably not going to be a hero to the kids,” he said. “This is a snow day. Tomorrow could be a snow day. I’d like to think there is still some virtual learning going on, with a little bit of time for sledding along the way.”

___

10:45 a.m.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A winter storm that could drop more than a foot of snow on some areas of Rhode Island is forcing changes to the state’s coronavirus testing and vaccination efforts.

All state-operated COVID-19 testing sites will be closed on Monday, the state Department of Health said.

Also, regional vaccination clinics in Bristol, Providence and East Greenwich will not open as scheduled.

People who had appointments for Monday at any one of these three locations will be contacted directly about rescheduling. Most of the appointments were for first responders and health care providers, with some limited vaccinations for people 75 years of age and older at Bristol and East Greenwich.

Regional vaccination clinics in Smithfield and Narragansett were not scheduled to operate on Monday.

___

10:30 a.m.

RICHMOND, Va. — Four firefighters in central Virginia were taken to hospitals after a firetruck overturned on snow-covered roads.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the accident occurred early Sunday in Henrico County.

The firetruck was responding to an emergency call. The crash was among more than 360 accidents reported across Virginia during the weekend snowstorm.

Henry Rosenbaum, the county’s assistant fire chief and fire marshal, said the firefighters were able to exit the overturned truck and suffered injuries that were not life threatening.

The firetruck was responding to a call about an unconscious person. No other vehicles were involved.

___

7:30 a.m.

PITTSBURGH — Road crews were busy across most of Pennsylvania as a winter storm packing strong winds continued to dump heavy snow around much of the state on Monday.

With conditions expected to worsen as the day progressed, Gov. Tom Wolf was urging residents to avoid travel if possible. Most of the state remained under winter storm warnings or winter weather advisories that were expected to remain in effect through Tuesday morning.

About 5 inches of snow had fallen in the Pittsburgh area by early Monday, while roughly 3 to 4 inches were reported in northeastern areas. Philadelphia had about 2 inches of sleet and snow.

A few more inches were expected to fall across most of the state throughout the day, and strong, gusty winds were also expected in most areas.

___