New Jersey declared a state of emergency in five counties that are expected to get slammed by a powerful nor’easter winter storm Tuesday, with some regions expecting a foot or more of snow in the first major winter storm of the season.

Significant snowfall, sleet, and freezing rain could bring hazardous conditions and impact travel in the northwestern counties of Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren, Gov. Phil Murphy said on Monday.

“I urge all drivers in these areas to exercise caution, remain alert, and follow all safety protocols,” Murphy said in a statement.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter storm advisory for the region’s first storm of the season, predicting heavy snow and ice through Thursday across inland New England.

Murphy said he anticipates the north and central regions of the state will get three to seven inches of snow on Tuesday.

Several school districts in New Jersey and New York were closed ahead of the storm.

Chilly temperatures are also expected across much of the eastern and central United States, according to forecasters.

“A messy wintry mix is moving eastward from the Ohio Valley into the central/southern Appalachians and portions of the Mid-Atlantic this morning, with ongoing snow showers from the Upper Ohio Valley north to the Lower Great Lakes shifting eastward into interior New England and the Mid-Atlantic,” the NWS stated Tuesday morning.

The system is expected to dump one inch of snow per hour, leaving five to 10 inches of snow in interior New England and the northern Mid-Atlantic on Tuesday. Some places could see more than a foot of snow, the weather service forecast.

Freezing rain is also expected along the central and southern Appalachians, creating slippery and dangerous driving conditions, according to the warning.

Rainfall is also expected along the eastern coast.

With the New York City skyline in the background, United Airlines flights are lined up for takeoff at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, on Nov. 7, 2025. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP)

Much of the eastern and central United States will have chilly temperatures during the storm, with highs in the 20s and 30s in the Midwest and New England, the 30s and 40s for the Mid-Atlantic, and the 40s and 50s for the Southwest, the NWS reported.

Sussex County government offices closed at noon Tuesday because of the inclement weather.

Winter storm watches have also been issued for parts of central and upstate New York, western Massachusetts, southern Vermont, southern New Hampshire, and southern Maine. Winter storm alerts are in effect from the Ohio Valley up to Maine.

Snow amounts will be amplified in the higher elevations, including parts of the Adirondacks and the Green and White mountain ranges through Wednesday night, according to weather forecasters.