RED BANK: FIRST SNOW OF 2018 BLOWS IN

An overnight snowstorm that left about three inches by daybreak may have prompted widespread school closings, but it was just another workday for a man delivering goods to Playa Bowls, above, and a Starbucks barista getting ready for the day’s customers in downtown Red Bank early Thursday. 

What comes next will be anything but ordinary, however, according to forecasters.

Likewise, apparently, for the guy above, who was out before dawn in the wind-driven snow clearing from a pickup truck on Broad Street. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

The National Weather Service said the snowfall was expected to continue on the Greater Red Bank Green until about 5 p.m., leaving a total accumulation of six to ten inches.

Wind was expected to be a significant issue, with northwest speeds of about 35 miles per hour in the morning and gusts of up to 55 m.p.h. causing snow drifts that would impede travel.

Then, “dangerously cold” wind-chill levels are expected Friday (9 degrees below zero) and Saturday (14 below), the NWS reported.

Early Thursday, Red Bank officials cancelled the day’s scheduled East Side trash pickup, 12 hours after announcing it might go ahead. They also announced that borough hall would be closed for the day.