An early season, winter weather event is descending on the region and will be impacting Camden County roadways for the afternoon rush hour and into the night as frigid temperatures set in on our community. Department of Public Works (DPW) personnel are loading trucks with material and are prepared to starting treating the streets after the rainfall to keep them clear of ice from the county’s 1,200 lane miles of road.
“Our DPW crews have been checking the plows, making sure the chainsaws are oiled and loading the salt trucks while continuing to monitor the latest weather forecasts,” said Commissioner Al Dyer, liaison to the DPW. “With rain ending and some wet snow in the forecast we are expecting to see a deep freeze create slippery roadways today when temperatures precipitously drop. That said, rest assured all essential personnel has been called in to address these unique conditions for the next 24 hours.”
A soaking, winter weather mix is expected to move through the area ending around midday. This storm system will be delivering periods of light and heavy rain before mixing and becoming wet snow this afternoon. The county is expecting to see almost no accumulation of snow over the duration of the storm, but winds will pick up and could top out at 50 mph.
Temperatures are expected to drop down to freezing this afternoon and continue to descend into the teens overnight with wind gusts between 30- 40 mph. On Saturday, intervals of flurries are expected in the early morning hours and temperatures will top out at about 20 degrees. Over the course of the coming weekend temperatures will be stuck in the teens with wind chills making the temperature feel like zero to minus-5.
“Based on the amount of precipitation we have already had over the last 24 hours, anyone on the roadways should be prepared to encounter slick road conditions. Always leave at least six car lengths behind our DPW vehicles while they work and move any cars off the street and into a driveway while we continue our road treatment operations,” Dyer said.
“This storm system, based on the high winds and extreme temperatures could bring down trees and impact power lines which makes it imperative for residents to call in power outages immediately if the lights go out.”
At the public works complex in Lindenwold, more than 100 pieces of equipment are available to keep county roadways passable. When the weather becomes treacherous, personnel will be dispatched to 12 winter maintenance districts to salt and plow 1,200 lane miles of roadways across Camden County. The county’s response plan calls for crews to be dispatched only to the zones where they are needed.
In the event the weather causes isolated power outages, please remember to immediately call your utility company so they can identify the location and coordinate crews to restore your power. This storm has the potential to bring down trees and power lines. Residents need to be extra cognizant of any power failures. Below are numbers and contact info for the two power providers in Camden County:
- PSE&G: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734)
- PSE&G website: http://pseg.com/home/customer_service/outage_info/index.jsp
- Atlantic City Electric: 1-800-833-7476
- Atlantic City Electric website: http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
- South Jersey Gas: 1-800-582-7060
- South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/
“Based on the complexities of this storm we are asking residents to stay home tomorrow unless they have to travel on the roadways,” Dyer continued. “If you must be out on the roadways give yourself plenty of time to get your destination and use extra caution while driving.”
As always, please use 911 for emergencies only. If you see a problem on a county road, please call our 24-hour hotline at (856) 566-2980 to report it to the CCDPW.
Continue to check www.camdencounty.com through the storm for weather and road condition updates. Information will also be provided through Facebook and Twitter.
