Snow totals from Tuesday's storm were relatively low but the danger on the road remained high as New Jersey State Police responded to 500 crashes as of 5:15 p.m.

Most of North Jersey had less than 2 inches of snow before the weather turned to rain by late afternoon. The mixture left for slick streets. Add in 10 mph winds and it made for an unpleasant scene.

"I spent many hours on the road myself," Gov. Phil Murphy said, "on the Parkway, the Turnpike, 195, 295, Route 1, back on the Parkway as I speak to you and I saw a lot of single-car incidents and we had a lot of those all over the state."

Over 2,200 cleanup vehicles were on the roads to keep them clear Tuesday, Murphy said, but the ice that came from the rain that followed the snow was a cause for concern.

The storm pulled in milder air off the ocean into the middle levels of its circulation, causing for more sleet and less snow, according to Bob Ziff of the North Jersey Weather Observers.

Ramsey had 1.9 inches of snow and sleet, Cedar Grove had 1.6 inches of snow, Hawthorne had 1.5 inches, Ridgewood 1.3 inches and Hoboken 1 inch as of about 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service and Ziff.

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Originally, snow was expected earlier Tuesday and with 4 or more inches in some parts, per Monday's reports. The forecast led Murphy to declare a state of emergency for Tuesday and for most schools to close. The state of emergency kept vehicles off the roads and made them easier to keep safe, the governor said.

"We’re not out of the woods yet," Murphy said at about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. "This is till sloppy, I would say a sloppy commute."

Traveling by air was not much better. LaGuardia Airport had about 500 flight cancellations, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. JFK Airport reported 240 flights were canceled, while Newark Liberty had over 100 flight cancellations.

Farther south in New Jersey there was more snow, with close to 4 inches in some areas.

Rain was expected to last for most of Tuesday night. The forecast for Wednesday was much clearer with mostly sunny skies and a high temperature of about 40 degrees.

Email: jongsma@northjersey.com

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