Gov. Phil Murphy announced that New Jersey is under a state of emergency as of 12 p.m. Saturday ahead of the weekend storm.

A state of emergency is a declaration by the governor that allows state agencies to quickly respond to needs of citizens, reassign personnel, and deploy vehicles, trucks, and equipment to respond during extreme weather.

In most cases, a state of emergency will not include a travel ban – though Saturday’s declaration does include a partial commercial ban. Vehicles like trailers, passenger vehicles pulling trailers and CDL weighted trucks are not permitted to driver on major roadways, except the NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway.

News 12 is told that the main reason why a state of emergency is declared before a storm is to qualify for emergency assistance and allow the state to apply for federal assistance if a disaster declaration is needed.

A state of emergency cannot tell private businesses to close shop, nor does it automatically close schools.

The governor, however, can order state offices to have a delayed opening or be closed.