Burlington County’s Public Works Department and the Burlco Emergency Management team are mobilized and ready for the forecasted severe winter storm and the possibility of blizzard conditions in some areas.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a state of emergency for all of New Jersey and the National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for Burlington County’s southeastern section advising that snow accumulations between 8 to 15 inches are possible along with 50 mph winds.
The remainder of Burlington County is under a winter storm warning. Four to 12 inches of snow is forecast to accumulate, with winds up to 35 mph.
Both National Weather Service warnings advise strongly against travel during the storm, which is expected to begin Friday evening and continue through midday Saturday.
A fleet of 70 plow trucks and a supply of more than 6,000 tons of salt are ready to treat all 500 miles of county highways.
“Our highway crews have already begun pretreating county roads with brine, and our emergency management team is ready for whatever weather this storm brings. We will be in close communication with first responders, hospitals and utilities,” said Burlington County Commissioner Director Dan O’Connell. “We’re urging residents to take precautions now, and to avoid all unnecessary travel and heed all Weather Service warnings. There’s still some uncertainty about this storm, but we’re advising everyone to take it seriously and remain at home and off the roads for the duration.”
The Burlington County Health Department also declared a Code Blue Weather Emergency from 7 p.m. Jan. 28 to 7 a.m. Jan. 31. During the declaration, Burlington County provides for short-term sheltering in clean, safe locations for those who need it.
Residents in need of shelter this weekend should call 211 for assistance.
Closures and postponements
Due to the storm, the Burlington County Library in Westampton and all branch locations will close at 5 p.m. today and the library and all branches will be closed on Saturday.
The Burlington County COVID-19 testing sites at the Willingboro Town Center on Route 130 and at Rowan College at Burlington County in Mount Laurel will also close early at 5 p.m.
The COVID-19 testing site at the Blue Barn Recreation Center in Evesham will also be closed on Sunday.
The County’s food distribution day scheduled for Jan. 29 has been rescheduled for Feb. 4 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Burlington County Emergency Services Training Center, 695 Woodlane Road, Westampton.
The Burlington County Vaccine Mega-Site in Mount Laurel will be closed Jan. 29 due to the anticipated snow. Anyone with a scheduled appointment for Jan. 29 will receive a notice that their appointment has been moved to Feb. 5.
