It wasn't unexpected - weather networks has issued icy warnings, and some nursing homes had evacuated residents as a preventative measure.
But for locals still smarting from the devasting blow dealt by Sandy, today's weather anomaly was the last thing they needed.
(Shalailah Medhora, SBS)
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"It's causing chaos," New Jersey resident Paulina Manelli says. The stay-at-home mum plans on keeping her six-year old twins indoors, with schools shutting early as the storm hit.
The state's infrastructure is slowly recovering from the superstorm Sandy. Hundreds of thousands of Garden Staters are still going without power, nearly 10 days after the storm made landfall. Sandy severed gas lines, meaning service stations are in desperate need of fuel. Those that are stocked often sport queues that stretch for up to four hours.
(Shalailah Medhora, SBS)
New Jerseyans have responded by relying on public transport. And not everyone is happy about it.
"I don't understand why I have to wait for more than hour for a bus home," receptionist Anna Spierwach says. "Can someone explain why there are three times as many people catching buses now than before Sandy, because I'm just not understanding."
"Temperatures are the 30s [fahrenheit] so waiting for a bus is a pain," primary school teacher Jorge Menendez says. "Authorities ought to do something about it."
The blizzard has added further pressure to the public transport system, with snow slowing traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel, which links New Jersey and Manhattan, to a virtual stand-still.
(Shalailah Medhora, SBS)
All flights in and out of Jersey's Newark Airport have been suspended indefinitely. Inbound flights to New York's La Guardia and JFK airports have also been cancelled.
New Jersey's Governor Chris Christie says the snow storm could hamper Sandy clean up efforts.
"I can see us actually going backwards," he told a press conference in Jersey Shore. He conceded he doesn't like setbacks, but that there's nothing he can do about the weather.
(Shalailah Medhora, SBS)
The low pressure system bringing the snow to the Garden State has also affected neighbouring areas, with up to a foot (30 centimetres) of snow expected in New England, according to the National Weather Service.
Parts of the Mid-Atlantic can expect wind gusts of up to 60 miles (96 kilometres) an hour.
(Shalailah Medhora, SBS)
Tens of thousands of homes and businesses in New York state, some just recovering from Sandy, have been plunged into darkness as the snow and rain brought down power lines.
