The snow storm bearing down on the East Coast is expected to hit overnight Wednesday into Thursday. The timing of the start of the snow for New Jersey residents will vary significantly as the storm moves north.
One thing is certain, the Thursday morning commute is going to be a mess for much of the state. Some of the heaviest snowfall is likely during the heart of rush hour. School closures or delays are likely.
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For residents in Cape May County, the first flakes could start flying around 7 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas along the coast could see up to a foot of snow.
Other forecasters say that while snow that early in the evening is possible, it's more likely to begin around midnight around Wildwood and Atlantic City.
National Weather Service predictions on when snowfall will start in New Jersey. By 1 or 2 a.m. snow will have overspread the center of the state before it reaches northwest Jersey sometime between 3 and 4 a.m, according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist Rob Miller.
"It's one of these things that if you get onshore flow, it's not out of the question that that it could start around 7 or 8 p.m. The brunt of the storm should start by midnight, though."
The NWS expects snow to arrive earlier elsewhere, too. It says precipitation will get underway around 10 p.m. in a wide swath between Toms River and Vineland. By 1 a.m. snow will be falling across Central Jersey and all the way north to the Morristown area. It then overspreads Sussex and Warren at about 4 a.m, according to the NWS.
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Snow and wind gusts of up to 40 mph will continue through the day Thursday before the wintry precipitation ends from south to north, Miller said. Snow should taper off in South Jersey around 5 to 6 p.m. and in North Jersey sometime around 8 or 9 p.m., Miller said.
Predicted snowfall amounts shot up on Wednesday afternoon as the storm marched north with some areas near the coast expected to get up to 8 inches.
"We have high confidence amount the snow, but are a little more uncertain about the amounts and impacts," Miller said. "With most of the state you're looking at a couple of inches."
He expects southern Shore areas like Atlantic City to receive 3 to 6 inches, but isolated totals of 6, 8 or even 10 inches are not out of the question in Atlantic and Cape May if the system hugs the coast.
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.