Forecasters: Light snow likely Tuesday; highest amounts in southern NJ coast

Light snow is likely Tuesday as an offshore system passes by the region, forecasters say. 

In a briefing, the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, NJ is calling for generally one to three inches along and south of the Interstate 95 corridor. 

But forecasters note that there is still some uncertainty regarding accumulation amounts, although “confidence in amounts higher than four to five inches is extremely low at this time,” according to New York Metro Weather meteorologist John Homenuk.

Snowfall is expected to begin Tuesday afternoon and spread from the southwest to the northeast, Homenuk says.  

The precipitation will coincide with the arrival of polar air, although it will not be as cold as the arctic blast earlier this month.

But temperatures will likely be in the single digits Wednesday morning, according to a National Weather Service map. When combined with a gusty northwest wind, wind chills will likely be below zero for several hours beginning late Tuesday, the briefing advises. 

“The magnitude of this cold blast is still dangerous enough to put residents who do not properly bundle up at risk for frostbite and hypothermia,” AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski notes in a report. 

There are additional concerns. Roadway chemicals lose effectiveness with colder temperatures, forecasters warn, and water pipes may freeze and burst with the bitter cold Wednesday morning (click here for tips to protect your pipes).