"Unwarmed by any sunset light,

The gray day darkened into night

a night made hoary with the swarm

And whirl-dance of the blinding storm"

I won't even attempt to compete with poet John Greenleaf Whittier's classic "Snowbound." I love snowstorms. I always have.

When I was growing up, we didn't have e-mail alerts. We would hunker down by the radio and listen to what seemed like a gazillion school closings until we heard "Bernards Township schools," then let out whoops of joy. Little thrills me more than to hear the words "winter storm warning." I'm a lifelong New Jersey resident who will never move to Florida.

That said, I'm sure there are plenty of you out there who don't share my take on winter. Feel free to chime in.

Most of the county roads should be clear by later this morning, Ocean County road supervisor Stephen F. Childers said.

Crews worked through the night to clear the latest snowfall from 620 miles of county roads.

 “The sun’s coming out, by noon or 1 p.m. everything should be nice and black,’’ he said.

Here's a few closings for both lovers and haters of winter.

Berkeley residents with Thursday garbage and recycling pickup, please note the pickups have been rescheduled for Saturday.

Central Regional High School and Central Regional Middle School and all Berkeley Township elementary schools will be closed today. All after-school activities in the Berkeley school district are also canceled, according to the district's web site.

The Ocean County Library system will have a delayed 11 a.m. opening.

State offices will have a delayed 12 p.m. opening.

Be safe out there!