NEW YORK — People across the Tri-State Area are preparing for the first significant winter snowstorm in a few years.

New York City saw the first wet flakes start to fall around 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Meanwhile in New Jersey, conditions started to become dangerous on the roads Saturday evening.

Morris County officials urge drivers to stay off roads

Officials in Morris County urged drivers to stay off the roads if they don’t need to be out. Snow was coming down Saturday evening, and in some areas, it’s sticking.

CBS New York’s Alecia Reid reports roads are slick and not many people are out and about, but she did run into some kids building a snowman in a shopping center parking lot. They’ve been waiting for a snow day for years.

While they had fun, crews were out plowing and salting roadways and sidewalks.

The Morris County Office of Emergency Management says a weekend storm is ideal for them because there are fewer people on the roads, giving crews the opportunity to clean up even faster.

Director of the Morris County OEM Jeffrey Paul says the county is prepared for the storm, but there are vehicles on the roads that are not equipped to handle the roadways.

“[Crews] have max hours that they’ll have to switch up and they’ll bring a different crew in, but the county’s well prepared. We have 15,000 tons of salt and a great road crew and a lot of emergency responders are out there,” Paul said.

Paul said a few cars had to be pulled out of a ditch after they went off the road.

“We got a lot of support out here, and we just need the public to go home,” he said.

Again, if you don’t need to be outside, you might as well stay where it’s warm and cozy.

Watch: Gov. Phil Murphy gives storm update

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy shared an update Saturday on the storm and the state’s response.

Northern parts of the Garden State can expect heavier snow to fall after sunset, with places north and west of I-287 seeing the highest totals.

“Based on the latest reports, we are predicting a potential 6 to 10 inches of snow in the northwestern portion of the state, that would be especially Sussex and Warren counties. There’s also a potential for minor coastal flooding,” the governor said. “It is likely that the southern half to two-thirds of the state will only see rain… Temperatures are going to move such that this will be rain almost entirely in the south.”

“Between 6 o’clock this evening and sort of in the middle of the night — 2 a.m.[ish] — we’re predicting the most heavy precipitation,” he added.

Murphy warned the rain-snow line could shift, making for more of a wintry mix in central parts of the state. He said this could worsen road conditions, particularly along the New Jersey Turnpike and I-295 corridors.

“Don’t go out unless you need to go out. Stay off the roads,” he said. “One of the utilities with whom I was in touch earlier today said their biggest concern is not necessarily precipitation of snow, rain or heavy winds, but it is their ability to move their equipment around with other folks out on the road. So again, please don’t go out unless you have to go out.”

Commercial vehicle restrictions take effect at 2 p.m. Saturday on I-78, I-80, I-280, I-287, and Route 440 from the Outer Bridge Crossing to I-287.

“Remember, charge your phones so that if you have an outage, you can call and report it,” said New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Christine Sadovy. “Stay away from those downed wires. Please stay safe and, if possible, stay off the roads.”

The governor said he expects the most intense part of the storm to wrap-up by daybreak Sunday.

“We are blessed that this is a weekend event, and it’s not a holiday so you don’t have a lot of folks traveling to visit families,” he said. “It’s another reason to underscore not only do we want you to stay off the roads, it should be a lot easier for more folks to stay off the roads. Obviously, you’ve got essential workers, you’ve got folks who work weekends, we get that. But if you don’t have to be out, don’t go out.”

Stick with our First Alert Weather team for the latest storm track and timing, as well as snow total projections and more.

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