Plowing, Cleanup Continues After Storm Dumps 8 Inches Of Snow On Berkeley

by Patricia A. Miller

Berkeley Township Public Works employees worked all last night to clear roughly the eight inches of snow that fell, Public Works Director Steven J. Seiler said.

"We should be wrapping up here in the next three to four hours," Seiler said this morning. "I had 100 pieces out between in-house and contractors."

Although most township streets are passable, roads may still be icy because of the extreme cold.

"It's been so cold we'll be doing sanding as well," Seiler said.

All garbage and recycling pickups are cancelled for today, so public works can concentrate on plowing, sanding and salting township roads, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said on the township's website.

The regularly scheduled Jan. 3 garbage pickup will be postponed until Jan. 4. Recycling pickups slated for today will be picked up on Jan. 16, the mayor said.

"Travel will be hazardous through this afternoon with blowing and drifting snow," according to the National Weather Service website."It is possible that the combination of blowing snow and wind creates near blizzard conditions at times, mainly closer to the coastal areas."

Expect a high of 29 degrees today, with northwest winds between 22 to 25 miles per hour, with gusts up to 39. Tonight will be bitterly cold with a low of 4 degrees and northwest winds between 7 to 17 miles per hour.

Temperatures that cold will greatly reduce the effectiveness of road salt so motorist should expect slippery road conditions well into the weekend.

Amato urged residents not to travel tonight unless absolutely necessary.

There were no power outages reported during the storm, he said.

Things begin to warm up on Saturday, with a high of 32 degrees and northwest winds between five to 11 miles per hour, gradually becoming southwest in the afternoon.

Saturday night will be mostly clear with a low of 24 degrees. Expect a high of 44 degrees on Sunday, with a chance of rain.