Frontier airlines has canceled a dozen flights in and out of Trenton-Mercer Airport due to the approaching blizzard. Watch video
TRENTON -- Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes declared a state of emergency Friday night as snow from a storm that could blanket up to 2 feet on the region started to fall.
Flakes started to fall in Trenton shortly before 7 p.m. and intensified every hour.
The order Hughes issued empowers the Mercer County Office of Emergency Management to coordinate countywide emergency services and resources deemed necessary, and allows Mercer County and its municipalities to seek federal reimbursement for extraordinary measures, Hughes said in a statement.
Hughes said county work crews, in addition to its fleet of plows and sanders, this year will be pre-treating with a snow-melting brine solution.
"Our strategy was to get brine and salt down first, let the crews rest for a few hours, and be ready for the start of the storm tonight, when we will be at full deployment," Hughes said in the statement,
At full strength, county crews use 65 pieces of equipment to clear the county's 425 lane miles of roadway and several properties, including the parking areas around the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, as well as county buildings and some of the libraries.
"When the heaviest snow arrives, it's imperative that our residents stay home and stay off the roads for their own safety and to let plows and emergency vehicles do their jobs," Mr. Hughes said.
In anticipation of the storm, Mercer County Connection in Hamilton, all Mercer County Park Commission facilities and all branches of the Mercer County Library System will be closed on Saturday.
The Mercer County Tennis Hall of Fame dinner scheduled for Saturday has been postponed to June 3, 2016.
Hughes' statement said Trenton-Mercer Airport should check with Frontier Airlines regarding flight delays or cancellations.
As of Friday night, the airline had canceled 12 flights in and out of the airport on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.