The Calm During the Storm in New Hope

Downtown New Hope at 2 p.m. on Wednesday was eerily calm and beautiful.

With only a few inches of snow on the ground, cars and pedestrians could be seen here and there slowly making their way through the downtown. Snow was falling at a steady, but moderate pace, and winds were light. John and Peter’s, Fran’s Pub, Marsha Brown, and the Logan Inn were open and serving light crowds.

But the calm during the fourth major nor-easter storm to hit the region lately could be deceptive, according to local officials.

“The heaviest part of the storm is still to come,” said the West Amwell, N.J., office of emergency management in a warning to residents. “Very heavy snow is forecast between now and 11 p.m. Forecasts still show our area receiving up to 12 inches of snow before midnight.”

Solebury Township also reminded residents that heavier snowfall was likely on the way.

“We can expect a steady moderate to heavy snowfall, with intense bands of fast-falling snow from now until this evening,” said township officials in a communication to residents. “Due to the extended timeline of the storm, the declared Snow Emergency has been extended until 8 a.m. tomorrow. Solebury’s contract meteorologist is forecasting 10–16 inches by the time the storm ends overnight.”

And Solebury officials warned of possible power outages.

“This is the same combination of wet snow and gusty winds that led to blackouts during previous storms in the past few weeks. The wet snow, on top of any icy build-up on tree limbs and wires, could lead to widespread power outages.”

All in all, New Hope and its neighbors were faring well on Thursday afternoon, with many residents keeping their fingers crossed that the area could be spared the electrical blackouts of recent weeks.