The National Weather Service has issued winter storm watches for parts of 8 New Jersey counties where the heaviest snow is expected Sunday.

Gov. Phil Murphy​ declared a State of Emergency across 21 counties in New Jersey that will be in effect at 8 a.m. Sunday.

Dangerously cold temperatures will grip New Jersey next week after a winter storm on Sunday brings widespread snow to the state.

NEW YORK — New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are under winter storm warnings Sunday as the entire region braces for snow. Tri-State Area officials had been issuing warnings and discussing the states' preparations in the days leading up to the storm.

The forecasts for this weekend’s winter storm have been flip-flopping for several days because of the uncertainty over how close the storm will track to New Jersey. The track, along with how much cold air pushes in ahead of the storm and how fast the system moves,

Wintry weather will really ramp up this afternoon, with the heaviest and most widespread snow expected around dinnertime (early evening).

With a winter storm moving in, New Jersey is under a State of Emergency Sunday morning. The State of Emergency, declared by Gov. Phil Murphy, went into effect at 8 a.m. Sunday. The state is expecting heavy snow totaling up to 8 inches followed by extremely low temperatures.

A nasty winter storm in the southern U.S. dumped as much as 8 inches of snow in New Orleans on Tuesday. That not only crushed records for the city, but it’s more snow than some areas of New Jersey have gotten this entire winter season.

Buckle up for a topsy-turvy weekend of weather – starting with a warm surge and ending with accumulating snow. See that latest projected snow totals and timing of the storm, which will impact Monday morning’s commutes.

The NYC area is forecast to see significant snow on Sunday as New Jersey declares a state of emergency. Here's how much to expect, when the storm will stop and end, plus how to track live coverage: