Colder air returns; snow to possibly dust cars, grass inland tonight

After a few days of unseasonably warm air, a much colder regime arrived overnight and will peak over the weekend, forecasters say.

High temperatures today will struggle to rise above 50 degrees at the Jersey Shore, and high clouds will continue to increase, according to John Homenuk, lead forecaster at New York Metro Weather. 

The culprit?

“A weak disturbance riding along the front which will, by Thursday night, be to our southeast. The disturbance will kick off a very weak low pressure system in the western Atlantic,” he said. “Weak lift for precipitation will pass over our area on Thursday night, supporting the development of some precipitation.”

And while that precipitation is expected to be rain at the coast, far inland areas at the Jersey Shore may see some snow, according to the National Weather Service.

“There may be a very slight accumulation of snow on grassy areas and cars later tonight,” a NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook said. “Skies will clear by morning, and temperatures will be within a couple of degrees of freezing. This will permit any remaining moisture from tonight’s light precipitation event to form patches of ice.” 

High temperatures will average in the lower 40s Friday and Saturday, and gusty northwest winds will help to keep wind chill values in the middle 30s, according to the National Weather Service.

After a slight moderation of temperatures to around 50 degrees on Sunday and Monday, the NOAA forecast calls for another shot of cold air and breezy weather for Tuesday and Wednesday.