New Winter Outlook Issued For NJ: Here's When The Worst Is Coming

January usually means bone-chilling temperatures, whipping winds and snow. So far, however, it's been 50 degrees.

What will that be the case this month in New Jersey?

The Weather Channel has released an updated seasonal forecast for winter 2019, saying while January might be average to even mild, don't expect the whole winter to be forgiving.

Over the next week, New Jersey will be subject to strong storms that will produce mostly rain, although some snow is possible in some areas.

Temperatures in January are largely expected to be about average, with the end of the month ushering in some below-average cold, according to The Weather Channel (The average daytime temperature in the Philadelphia region for January is in the low 40s. The average nighttime temperature is in the mid 20s.).

In the early part of this month, New Jersey could even be in for some daytime temperatures in the 50s, AccuWeather predicts. A high of 61 was recorded for the region on Jan. 1.

The chance of snow is pretty much ruled out for the next two weeks – except in the Sussex County areas, which could get an inchor two on Monday night and Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service and the Weather Channel say.

But don't expect to get off easy for the whole season. Temperatures are expected to drop towards the end of the month, ushering in a much colder February, forecasters predict.

February will likely be the coldest month of the winter, when temperatures will likely be "well below average," The Weather Channel says.

The last full month of winter is expected to be the harshest in terms of unusually cold weather for a large swath of the region, The Weather Channel says.

"Everything is still on track for a notably cold, stormy late-winter period in the eastern and southern U.S., especially in February," Todd Crawford, The Weather Channel's chief meteorologist Crawford, said in a news release.

March is expected to be a bit milder in the Northeast after the frigid February, with temperatures near average or slightly warmer than average.

"It currently appears as if the El Nino event will not decay significantly heading into spring, which should favor the continuation of cooler-than-normal temperatures across much of the southern and eastern U.S. into at least May," Crawford said in the news release.

A hazardous weather outlook, meanwhile, has been issued in parts of Central and South Jersey and Sussex County. Another wet storm will affect the region late Friday and Saturday and rainfall may be heavy at times – possibly leading to localized flooding – in Central and South Jersey.

In Sussex County, a storm system Friday night through Saturday may result in a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain.

For now, here's your short-term local forecast:

• Thursday: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 42. Northwest wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 45. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
• Friday night: Rain likely, mainly after 1am. Areas of fog before 4am. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with a low around 33. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
• Saturday: Rain (sleet in parts of North Jersey) likely, becoming all rain after 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 42. Northeast wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no sleet accumulation expected.
• Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 45.
• Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28.
• Monday: A chance of rain (snow in parts of North Jersey) between 1pm and 2pm, then a chance of snow in North Jersey after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Monday night: Snow likely in North Jersey, rain possible elsewhere. Cloudy, with a low around 29. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

With reporting by Kara Seymour

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