WARREN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (PIX11) -- Communities across the southern part of the metro area got the most snow in the region on Friday.
But across the tri-state region, the biggest concern is the frigid temperatures heading into the weekend.
The region got pelted with a snowstorm less than a week ago. That was followed by freezing rain. Friday's snow fell on top of that, and with wind chills in the single digits forecasted for Saturday, the region has ended up with a week full of some of the most challenging wintery conditions it has seen in years.
It has some residents concerned, particularly in areas that got higher amounts of snow on Friday.
Hector Batista lives in Warren, New Jersey, which got up to four inches, according to the National Weather Service.
"It concerns me with the snow possibly turning into ice," Batista said, as he threw salt onto his driveway.
He said that making sure that melted snow does not become ice sheets is not only important but personal.
"We just had a neighbor down the street who fell last week," he explained, "and he hit his head and he actually had to go to the hospital, and I had to help him."
"I'm just trying to keep it salted," he continued, as he threw more salt pellets on his long, u-shaped driveway. "No ice, black ice, you know? Everyone's scared of that."
Another Warren resident, Ying Wu, said that it was right for the township to take Friday's snowfall seriously.
"The school [had] early dismissal, so the kids are home," said Wu, who added that she took the snowstorm seriously, as well.
"I'm a physician, so we didn't let the staff come in because of worrying about the driving conditions. I told them to stay home."
High winds and lower temperatures are in the forecast. They are why Wu expressed concern, looking ahead.
"I think that ice is worse than anything else," she said. 'It could be a bit dangerous."
Salting and plowing crews agree. George Brew is the director of public safety for Woodbridge Township.
"Temperatures are really supposed to drop through the night," he said in an interview in front of the salt dome at the township's public works facility. There, a front-end loader spent the day loading and re-loading trucks that each carry a few tons of salt and are also equipped with plows.
In some of the more hilly parts of the township, Brew said, the snow was deep enough for his crews to plow. The main reason for that, he added, was preventive.
"If we get any slush off the road, any small accumulations off," Brew said, "that's gonna help us tomorrow with the freezing temperatures that we're supposed to be getting tomorrow."
The New Jersey State Dept. of Transportation gave a simple, straightforward warning to residents regarding conditions Friday and Saturday. "We continue to urge everyone to please stay home if you can," NJDOT said on the social media platform X.
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