PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The first official day of spring is approaching, but strong wind gusts and chances of snow are expected this week.
The National Weather Service (NWS) anticipates chances of rain and snow throughout the greater Philadelphia region, followed by wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour.
A winter weather advisory is in place for Philadelphia, its Pennsylvania suburbs and all of New Jersey.
During a weather briefing Monday night, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy warned potentially damaging storms could cause power outages.
"Weather conditions at any given moment, especially high-gusting winds, could prevent utility crews from getting up to a bucket safely," he said.
Because of the high winds and potentially bad conditions along the shorelines and bays, gale warnings have been activated up and down the coast through Wednesday, according to NWS.
"With these winds comes the potential for power outages," said Murphy. "If you lose your power, report it to your utility immediately. If you see a downed power line, please stay clear of it."
Five northern New Jersey counties — Warren, Sussex, Morris, Passaic and Bergen — are under a state of emergency due to a decent amount of estimated snowfall.
If the greater Philadelphia area gets snow, state officials say crews are prepared to respond.
"We are ready for whatever comes our way, plus or minus the next 36 hours," Murphy added.
