For all those New Jerseyans who were complaining about the mild winter we were having a few weeks ago, take a walk outside and be prepared for a rude awakening.
A blast of Arctic air has pushed temperatures down into the teens Saturday morning — with gusty winds making it feel as cold as the single digits. Making matters worse, forecasters say, those winds could start blowing snow around and the frigid temperatures could cause black ice to form on roads and walkways.
Winter weather is here, but it won’t be sticking around too long. Forecasters say a gradual warmup will be on the way next week — after we deal with one of our coldest weekends so far this season.
Both Saturday and Sunday will start out with morning temperatures in the low to mid-teens, and afternoon highs stuck in the 20s, according to the National Weather Service. Wind-chill readings (how cold it feels when you combine the air temperature with the wind) will drop as low as the single digits, and near zero in some areas of the region, overnight Saturday and also overnight Sunday.
Daytime temperatures across New Jersey will be stuck in the 20s on Saturday, Jan. 20, with gusty winds making it feel as cold as the teens in the afternoon and single digits at night.AccuWeather
In northwestern New Jersey, the wind-chill in the Sussex area is forecast to get as cold as 3 to 4 degrees below zero during the day on Saturday, thanks to biting northwest winds that could gust up to 20 to 25 mph.
The good news, for winter haters, is temperatures are expected to rise into the mid-30s Monday, with mostly sunny skies, and then into the low 40s Tuesday and Wednesday.
Forecasters say there’s a high probability of rain — not snow — late Tuesday night and Wednesday, and another storm system could bring more rain on Thursday and perhaps again on Friday. That rain will come in the wake of back-to-back snowstorms that hit our region this past work week, making a mess on roads and forcing scores of school districts to change their schedules or cancel classes.
After a frigid weekend with brutal wind- chill readings, most of the eastern U.S. will be seeing a gradual warming trend next week, forecasters say.AccuWeather
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Stories by Len Melisurgo
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at [email protected] or on X at @LensReality.