Snow in October? A Pre-Halloween Scare

Emergency personel are working to clear a fallen tree that's blocking two lanes of traffic on Interstate 287 South in Bernards Township, according to New Jersey State Police.

The fallen tree, which police say is located near milepost 30, is blocking both the right and center lanes of traffic.

The Hillsborough Police Department recently released an alert to residents via Nixle, regarding road closures in town as a result of this weekend's pre-Haloween snow storm.

The first Nixel alert issued on Saturday afternoon around 3:45 p.m., specified that Amwell Road is closed west of the three-way stop, as well as River Road, towards the Hunterdon County border.

An additional Nixel alert released around the same time announced that Montgomery Road is closed between Amwell and Wertsville roads, also due to hazardous conditions.

During a call to police, residents were asked to avoid being on the roads if it is at all possible. With snow falling at a rapid rate, the dispatcher was brief in her comments saying only, "we're warning everyone to stay off the roads."

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for all of Somerset County, with 6 to 10 inches expected in Hillsborough.

According to WeatherSource, a trace of snow has been recorded at the Plainfield measuring station seven times in October since 1950 and as much as one-half inch was recorded on Oct. 18, 1972.

This weekend's pre-Halloween storm is expected to pick up during the Saturday afternoon hours, producing as much as 1 to 2 inches per hour, according to the NWS. Reduced visibility will make traveling difficult, the NWS said.

The weight of the snow could bring down tree limbs and power lines, while temperatures will hover in the upper 30s to low 40s before dropping to near-freezing Saturday night, the NWS said. Winds gusts of up to 30 miles per hour are expected, the NWS said.

Patch will continue to provide updates throughout the storm. What does it look like in your neighborhood? Let us know in the comments and upload your own photos to this post.