The weather may feel more like April than January in the coming weeks. But don't expect it to last.

Forecasters have released an updated winter weather forecast for the rest of January and early February in New Jersey - and it may not be what you'd normally expect.

The weather is expected to be unseasonably warm over the next couple weeks as mild Pacific air travels to New Jersey. Surface winds will prevent cold air - the so-called "Polar Vortex" - from traveling from Canada to our region.

But that's likely to change by the time February rolls around.

A central U.S. storm could signal another pattern change at the end of the month as a storm travels toward the Great Lakes, then Ontario, Canada, funneling colder, perhaps arctic air southward and eastward, AccuWeather Senior Long-Range Meteorologist Jack Boston said in an AccuWeather release.

That could mean "snowy conditions" in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and other areas of the Northeast by the end of January and early February.

"January may end with near to below-average temperatures and a return of snowy conditions around the Great Lakes and part of the Northeast," Boston said.

The National Weather Service and The Weather Channel did say we could be looking at a wet weekend coming up. A strong jet stream will combine with a strong low-pressure system, a piece of Winter Storm Kori and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to bring a greater threat of severe thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday in the South, according to The Weather Channel.

Here is what the National Weather and AccuWeather are saying:

  • The upcoming pattern for the remainder of the month will have some people in the South shedding winter coats, while others in the northern tier will be "changing up their outerwear on a daily basis," according to AccuWeather.
  • We'll see temperatures in the 50s this week, and then we're looking at a week of above normal temperatures.
  • Indeed, once chilly air and snow erode in New England, highs in the 30s, 40s and 50s will be common in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and in the 60s and 70s in the South.
  • These conditions will lead to an extended thaw over the Midwest and the mid-Atlantic.

In many parts of the nation, early January lived up to its wintry reputation, according to AccuWeather.

At one point this past week, snow was on the ground and freezing temperatures existed in every state except Florida, thanks to a snowstorm that swept from the Northwest to the Southern states and then to the coastal Northeast.

During the middle 10 days of January, highs in Chicago will generally range from the 20s to the 40s. In New York City, highs most days will be in the 30s and 40s with an exception here and there. For both cities, it will neither be bitterly cold nor warm for very long. Normal highs are near freezing in Chicago and in the upper 30s for New York City.


Patch file photo

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