A strong winter nor'easter could bring heavy snowfall and severe coastal flooding along the entire coast. Watch video
Officials at the Jersey Shore are preparing for a poisonous concoction of heavy snowfall and severe coastal flooding caused by a strong winter nor'easter.
The storm, expected to hit the Garden State this weekend, could dump as much as 12 to 16 inches of snow on certain parts of the Garden State.
Along the coast, a mix of wind gusts as high as 55 mph and tides are likely to produce moderate to major flooding on Saturday and Sunday. The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood watch for southern New Jersey and southern Delaware.
In Brick Township, where beaches have suffered severe erosion, the department of public works is offering free sand bags and sand to residents. The township also canceled all recreation activities for Saturday and Sunday.
Officials in Toms River sent out an alert to residents to move vehicles to higher ground to avoid floodwaters and to prepare for power outages. In Island Heights, officials are also warning residents to make arrangements to park vehicles off the roadways.
Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said his office is monitoring the situation and could possibly truck in sand to the shore's most vulnerable beaches.
Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden is urging residents in flood-prone areas to monitor the situation closely and prepare.
"Preparing, planning and staying informed makes dealing with weather related events that may affect Monmouth County, much easier," Golden said. "Now is the time to take basic steps and plan what you will do if heavy snow, severe flooding and high winds occur or if power goes out for an extended period of time."
In Belmar, crews starting pushing sand Wednesday to create dunes ahead of the predicted storm surge.
Building dunes on the Belmar beachfront today in anticipation of a significant storm surge this weekend. pic.twitter.com/U7XBrinnmO
-- Matt Doherty (@mattdohertynj) January 20, 2016
Middletown Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger said the township has 153 pieces of equipment at its disposal to clear snow. On Thursday, township crews will begin pre-treating roads with brine, salt and sand. As the storm approaches, all medical emergency personnel will be on standby, Scharfenberger said.
He said residents should avoid flooded streets and warned them not to drive around barricades or attempt to drive through standing water.
In nearby Aberdeen, police Chief John Powers said police are working closely with township's department of works crews to ensure all the equipment and plows are ready to go. Crews are also unloading barricades and cones so they can block off flooded roads.
He said the township also has a couple pre-planned warming stations in case the storm causes power outages in the area. The locations of those stations can be found on the township's website.
"We've had nor'easters in the winter before," Powers said. "If there's a significant snowfall involved, it presents another challenge that we have to deal with, but nothing that we haven't experienced before."
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.