Like a long-distance runner getting off to a slow start before picking up steam, this winter season struggled to feel like a typical winter before colder air and two big snowstorms arrived in New Jersey last week.
But just when it seemed like winter was here to stay, forecasters are now calling for warmer temperatures to invade our region early next week. And some say the milder trend — with no major snow threats looming — could linger into early March.
Does this mean winter is already over?
That’s a matter of debate among meteorologists, but the consensus seems to be winter is waning, although some snow can’t be ruled out in March.
“I would say the potential for widespread winter storms is at an end,” said Steven DiMartino, a meteorologist who heads the NY NJ PA Weather forecasting company, based in Monmouth County. “However, I’ll be keeping an eye on northwestern New Jersey through March. I expect a pattern shift to a colder pattern the second half of March, but this will be raw and wet rather than snowy.”
Long-range forecasters from the national Climate Prediction Center are also painting a gloomy picture for snow fans — and a pleasant one for snow haters. They are calling for a high probability of warmer-than-average temperatures in New Jersey and most of the northeastern U.S. through the end of February and through most of March as well.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be any cold days, but the atmospheric trend is favoring more mild temperatures and limited opportunities for snowstorms, forecasters say.
After a threat of rain late Thursday and early Friday, New Jersey is expected to get cold and blustery weather conditions this weekend, followed by a gradual warmup on Monday, with temperatures reaching the low to mid-50s.
On Tuesday, the Garden State could get “a little bit of spring fever,” DiMartino said, with highs reaching the mid-50s in northern New Jersey, the mid- to upper 50s along the Jersey Shore and the upper 50s to low 60s in the Delaware River Valley.
AccuWeather says warm air from the south and west will be pushing into New Jersey and other parts of the eastern U.S. next week because the jet stream will be surging northward, keeping cold air locked in the nation’s northwestern region.
Brian Ivey, president of Neoweather, a private forecasting company based in South Jersey, says you can’t count wintry weather out until April arrives, although all signs are pointing toward a warm finish to this season.
“Is winter over?” he posted on X this week. “No not totally. It’s still February. Even in the warmest winters on record… there are still enough cold shots into April for snow. BUT…. It’s not going to have anything more than brief shots for cold or snow left. There will be just too many stretches of well above average temps like we have seen for months.”
Forecasters from The Weather Channel also say there are no signs of any major cold snaps in the eastern U.S., at least through the remainder of this month.
“While there may be some brief interludes of cooler weather, the latest long-range temperature outlook through the rest of February looks generally warmer than average over much of the country, including the Plains, Midwest and East,” The Weather Channel noted.
Its forecasters say this meteorological winter (December through February) could turn out to be the warmest one on record in parts of the northeastern U.S.
Current weather radar
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at [email protected] or on X at @LensReality.
©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit nj.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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