The order for all non-essential workers to stay home came hours after Murphy declared a state of emergency effective 8 p.m. Tuesday.

New Jersey Office of Emergency Management announced the closure in a tweet and a Murphy spokesman confirmed the governor gave the order.

The governor warned people should prepare for additional power outages as some 40,000 utility customers are still without power from the monster nor’easter that ravaged New Jersey and other states along the East Coast on Friday.

Forecasters predict Wednesday’s storm will bring a big mix of snow, rain and gusty winds.

“It’s expected to hit us tonight through tomorrow, bringing wet, heavy snow,” Murphy said at a public event in West Trenton on Tuesday. “Please do not venture out on the roads during the storm.”

N.J. school closings, delayed openings (Wednesday, March 7, 2018)

People should stay off the roads so they do not interfere with law enforcement and emergency responders. Based on the latest projections, forecasters are expecting the storm to be at its worst Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday evening.

The National Weather Service is forecasting as much as 8 to 12 inches of snow to accumulate across the northern half of New Jersey, with perhaps more in hilly areas of Warren County and eastern Pennsylvania.

Garden State residents may consult the state’s emergency preparedness website, www.ready.nj.gov for further information. Information about road conditions will be available at the New Jersey Department of Transportation website: http://www.511nj.org/.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook