Blizzard Slams Sea Isle

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI Whoever would have thought that the Jan. 3 coastal storm that dumped 12 inches of snow on Sea Isle City was a mere dress rehearsal for something even worse? But get this. The blizzard that clobbered the shore during the overnight hours Friday and through Saturday afternoon left about 14 inches of snow in its wake, adding even more misery to this winter’s unusually harsh weather. “It’s more than the last time. It’s a lot of snow,” Mike Jargowsky, Sea Isle’s coordinator of emergency management, said while comparing the two storms. Fortunately, the snow during this storm was the fluffy, relatively light kind of stuff that didn’t snap tree branches or cling to power lines, Jargowsky pointed out. However, wind-blown snow kicked up by gusts as high as 40 mph greatly reduced visibility and made travel conditions hazardous for any motorists who ventured out on the roads. Jargowsky said it was hard to tell exactly how much snow fell because of the high drifts created by the blustery conditions. Empty streets and snow drifts left parts of Sea Isle looking like a ghost town on Saturday. Photos circulating on social media showed heavy amounts of snow piling up on driveways, decks and porches. There were no immediate reports of damage, Jargowsky said. Flooding was not a serious problem. The storm caused only minor flooding coinciding with the high tide Saturday morning, Jargowsky noted. Post-storm winds are blowing out of the northwest, so coastal flooding is not expected to be a problem with the next three tide cycles, according to a weather statement from Cape May County. Park Road underneath the "Welcome to Historic Fish Alley" sign is deserted during the snowstorm. (Photo courtesy of Sea Isle City Fire Department) Throughout Friday night and Saturday morning, snowplow operators tried to keep ahead of the storm, Jargowsky said most people heeded the advice of Sea Isle’s Office of Emergency Management to stay home to allow snowplows to clear the roads. “I haven’t seen many people at all driving around,” he said. The Office of Emergency Management released a statement urging homeowners to park their cars in their driveways so that snowplows would have more room to do their job. “Do not try to drive or walk along the roadways, because the Department of Public Works is plowing the streets and large emergency vehicles will be responding to calls,” the statement said. The 14 inches of snow that fell on Sea Isle was an unofficial estimate, Jargowsky noted. Throughout Cape May County, snowfall totals were between 12 and 16 inches, according to the county’s weather statement. “At this time there aren’t any major issues to report,” the statement said. Cape May County’s Public Works Department used a fleet of snowplows to clear the roads around the county. All major county roads remain open. There are 410 lane miles of roads and 28 bridges in Cape May County that are being cleared. “The public is asked to be patient and allow the road crews to safely complete this difficult task,” the county said in its statement. More trucks will be added to help plow the roads. State and municipal Public Works crews are also clearing roads, the county said. Although the storm largely cleared out by Saturday afternoon, the county warned the public of bitterly cold wind chills overnight that could drop as low as 5 to 10 degrees below zero. “This is well into the frostbite range. Even a short period outside could cause frostbite,” the county said. For more information regarding closings and other impacts of the blizzard, visit the Cape May County government website at www.capemaycountynj.gov.