**The following article was originally published in Quo Vadis on January 29, 2015**
Winter Storm Juno, the recent snowfall that touched down on January 26, 2015 in the Middlesex County area was predicted to be a record snowfall because of the amount of snow that was supposed to be received.
Preparations for this snowfall caused citizens to go out shopping for any last minute items that were needed. Throughout social media and also some news channels it can be seen that store shelves were being emptied by those worried. A recent post on Facebook that came from a concerned shopper stated, “Oh boy…. no bread, no eggs and no juice…seriously…let’s hope there’s some milk left.”
The Middlesex County area was predicted to get one to two feet of snow. Many news channels were predicting it to be a “blizzard”, but when the snow stopped it was far from a blizzard. In reality, the Middlesex County area only got about 7-8 inches.
Towns were even going so far as to contacting the residents and notifying them of the snowstorm and how to prepare and stay safe. The East Brunswick Township sent out recordings warning the residents about the snowfall and reminding them to clear the roads so that the plows could get through.
As is expected when a storm like Juno hits, there were many school closures and early dismissals. On 26 Jan., The College took the necessary steps to close the campus early at 12:30 p.m. to ensure the students have a safe drive back home, later deciding to keep the campus closed on 27 Jan. because of the snowfall that was happening; The College was reopened on 28 Jan.. Winter Storm Juno is the first early dismissal and school closure of the spring semester for The College.
Winter Storm Juno was expected to be bad and almost blizzard-like which caused government offices to take early precautions. On nj.gov it stated, “With Winter Storm Juno expected to impede transportation and travel throughout New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie today declared a State of Emergency, authorizing the State Director of Emergency Management to activate and coordinate the preparation, response and recovery efforts for the storm with all county and municipal emergency operations and governmental agencies.”
Mohammad Zadeh of the Lawn Salon Landscaping Company in the Middlesex County area said, “The forecast was not quite on target I guess due to the vast size of the storm, but it did come through in some northern states.” When asked if he believed that Winter Storm Juno was a “blizzard” he stated, “It was not a blizzard in New Jersey, but it had the length of time of a blizzard… the snow flakes were smaller and less affective.”
Although Juno wasn’t as big as predicted, The Lawn Salon was out as soon as the snow started. When asked how long it took to clean up the snow, Zadeh stated that, “We started 10 p.m. Monday and we are still cleaning some parking spots that were occupied during the storm. It’s Wednesday, 2:30 p.m. now.” Companies like The Lawn Salon Landscaping Company have worked long hours to ensure that the roads were safe to travel on again.
