Wintry Weather Mix Causes Car Accidents, Power Outages

A sloppy mix of rain, slush, sleet and snow on Saturday turned a stretch of the Garden State Parkway into a danger zone.

John Boyle Sr., Chief of Holmdel Fire Company No. 2, said the roadway was strewn with motor vehicle accidents around 5 p.m.

"Within a six-mile stretch we've seen at least seven motor vehicle accidents. They are sliding off the road in every direction -- backwards, sideways, hitting barriers, hitting trees. But so far there are no major injuries," said Boyle.

He described how two heavy Jeeps and two Nissans had lost control. A MONOC ambulance slid off the road and had to pulled out of a ditch. The Holmdel Fire Company was called out to help in an extrication, which was later cancelled. His advice was to slow down and better yet, stay off the road. "Even our fire truck lost traction going down Laurel Avenue at 40 mph," he said.

The National Weather Service has issued an alert for Monmouth County to be prepared for winter weather, hazardous driving conditions, and strong winds.

The advisories are in effect through very early Sunday.

The driving rain, icy sleet and bursts of snow will change to all snow this evening, and then end between 9 p.m. and midnight.

One to three inches inches of snow could accumulate. Winds will be at 15-25 mph, sometimes reaching 45 mph.

Driving will be hazardous due to slick road surfaces, strong winds and low visibility. The heavy wet snow (combined with leaves on trees) will weigh heavy on tree branches and could cause power outages. By 5:14 p.m. Saturday, JCP&L reported there were power outages in Matawan (1837) Colts Neck (458), Marlboro (94) and Morganville (35). JCP&L crews responded to outages in Holmdel on Line Road earlier in the day.

Here is the NWS's three-day forecast for the local area as of 4 p.m, Saturday:

This Afternoon: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 41. Breezy, with a northeast wind around 24 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: Rain and snow, becoming all snow after 11pm. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 36. Windy, with a north wind between 23 and 30 mph, with gusts as high as 41 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 47. Northwest wind between 15 and 17 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34. West wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 53. North wind between 5 and 7 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37.