RIVER EDGE, N.J. (PIX11) — The snowstorm moving into the tri-state region overnight Monday into Tuesday morning is expected to drop the deepest snow north and west of New York City. Most of Bergen County, New Jersey, meets both of those descriptions.
With snow expected to range from 2 inches or 3 inches in the southern part of Bergen County to up to 8 inches in its northern reaches, the county government is readying its salt spreaders and plows, and residents are gearing up as well.
Many local residents told PIX11 News that in this winter season that’s had some of the lowest snowfall totals ever seen, the overnight snowstorm on Monday is long overdue.
Tzvi Geffner was coming out of a local hardware store on Monday afternoon, but not to buy ice melter or any other snow or ice maintenance items. He said that he, like most of his neighbors, is fully stocked with those.
“Everything is exactly where it was about nine months ago,” he said, describing his snow removal supplies. “[The] shovel is still hanging on the shelf, and the salt is still on the pile with the containers.”
The hardware store he’d just visited is Palmer’s Ace Hardware, which is always well stocked for winter storm season. In fact, in front of the store on Monday were stacks and stacks of ice melter. Its owner and CEO, David Palmer, said that in this unusually mild winter season, his store is almost too well stocked.
“Being that they’re talking about snow for tonight,” he said, “stuff is moving out. We’re like, ‘Wow, this is great.’ We sold three snow shovels this morning, and we usually sell a few thousand by now.”
His store is by no means the only entity experiencing an over-supply of winter storm materials.
The main salt barn at the Bergen County Department of Public Works lot in Paramus was nearly full to the ceiling on Monday. It was filled with salt from last winter, having not had a need to use much salt at all this season.
It’s saved the county “millions of dollars,” according to County Executive Jim Tedesco. He also said that the overnight snowstorm will present some real challenges for morning commuters, but that the timing is keeping those challenges to a minimum.
“Having it in the middle of the night is the best that we could hope for,” Tedesco said, “because we can get it all off the roads, get the roads wide and then by rush hour, the pavement is black and just wet, so yeah, this is the best of what could be a difficult period from a snowstorm.”
