N.J. weather: Forecasters say rain is more likely than snow in next week’s storms

A series of storm systems are expected to pester New Jersey next week, but anyone hoping for a blockbuster snowstorm may be out of luck.

Computer guidance models have been inconsistent with their projections for next week’s storms, but they seem to be hinting that temperatures across most of the Garden State may be too warm to support snow, according to Patrick O’Hara, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s regional forecast office in Mount Holly.

The first storm, expected to arrive late Sunday night into early Monday, will likely bring rain showers to the Garden State, O’Hara said.

The next storm, which is projected to arrive late Tuesday or Wednesday, is still too far away for forecasters to get a good handle on how it will play out, O’Hara said.

As of now, some snow is “not completely out of the question, especially in northern areas and high-elevation areas,” he said. “It could start as snow. But by and large, it changes over to rain.”

O’Hara says forecasters should get more confident about the Wednesday storm by the end of this weekend.

The same holds true for a third storm that could impact New Jersey later next week, O’Hara said. For now, temperature projections are trending a bit too warm to support snow, but forecasters will be closely monitoring that storm system too.

Prior to the wave of storms, a fairly quiet weekend is shaping up for New Jersey, with partly sunny skies and seasonal temperatures expected. The weather service is calling for cold mornings with lows in the upper 20s to low 30s and afternoon highs climbing to the upper 40s to low 50s on Saturday and Sunday.

Rain showers are expected to arrive either late Sunday night or after midnight and continue Monday morning.

By Monday afternoon, temperatures could climb as high as the mid- to upper 60s in some areas of the Garden State, and winds may gust up to 30 to 40 mph as a cold front moves through, the weather service said in its latest forecast. High temperatures in early December normally hover in the upper 40s to around 50 degrees.

Forecasters from AccuWeather say some areas of New Jersey could get wind gusts as high as 40 to 50 mph on Monday, which could cause localized wind damage and power outages.

Current weather radar

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Len Melisurgo may be reached at [email protected].