Nor'Easter Threat Down to a Dusting of Snow

A dusting of snow and minor tidal flooding, a far cry from earlier predictions of a spring blizzard, are forecast for Tuesday into Wednesday this week as a nor'easter forms offshore.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly say the storm will gain strength and become an explosively powerful nor'easter, though it will be far enough away from land to avoid dumping significant snows on the Jersey Shore area.

"At this time, it appears that the storm will be far enough off the coast so that most areas will only receive minor impacts," the weather service said in a briefing package.

Precipitation should begin during Tuesday and continue into early Tuesday night before tapering off from southwest to northeast, the briefing said. Initially, the precipitation will begin as rain or a mix of rain and snow over most areas during the day on Tuesday. The precipitation will transition back to all snow Tuesday evening, but above-freezing temperatures during the day coupled with the high position of the sun in late March will prevent the snow from sticking to most road surfaces, the forecast said.

The Jersey Shore area is forecast to receive 1-2 inches of snow.

Winds will be sustained between 10 to 20 m.p.h. during the storm, and some gusts could reach 40 m.p.h. near the ocean.

High tides to watch are the ones Tuesday night into Wednesday, the forecast said. The best chance for minor tidal flooding is the further north you go.