By: Richard L. Smith
Good morning and welcome to Friday. We’ve made it to the end of the week, but winter is reminding us that it’s not done yet.
Temperatures are sitting in the mid-20s as we wake up across Newark and much of North Jersey.
If you thought about putting the heavy winter gear away after seeing a bit of sunshine earlier this week, you’ll want to grab it again.
A deep freeze is moving in starting this evening, and conditions will turn dangerously cold as we head into the weekend.
I wish there were better news, but this blast of cold has already prompted advisories for the weekend, with some snow possible, especially across parts of central New Jersey.
According to the National Weather Service, conditions today will be mostly cloudy with a high near 32. Wind chill values will range between 5 and 15, with a light north wind becoming variable.
Snow is likely late tonight, mainly between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Skies will remain cloudy with overnight lows around 16.
Winds will be light out of the southwest, and there is a 70 percent chance of precipitation, though snowfall totals are expected to remain under an inch.
Saturday will stay cloudy and cold, with a 30 percent chance of snow mainly before early afternoon.
Temperatures are expected to fall through the day, reaching around 10 degrees by late afternoon, while wind chills dip between 10 below zero and zero.
This is the kind of cold that can become dangerous quickly.
Limit time outdoors, dress in layers, check on neighbors, and make sure pets are protected.
Be safe, New Jersey.