No arctic blasts, snow on the near horizon at the Jersey Shore, forecaster says

The new year will begin on the mild side without any snow on the ground at the Jersey Shore. 

Meteorologist Lance Frank at the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly says we’ll kickoff 2017 with above average temperatures. 

But that doesn’t mean warm. The average high temperature at the Jersey Shore around now is 43 degrees. 

Frank says temperatures this afternoon will reach around 50 degrees before falling back to around average tomorrow and Saturday. By New Year’s Day, temperatures will rise to the upper 40s, remaining around the same for Monday. Tuesday is looking well above average with a high around 53 degrees before dropping slightly on Wednesday. 

So why the mild stretch? 

It’s because the jet stream, a fast flowing air current in the atmosphere, isn’t moving southward that would allow Arctic air from Canada to spill down. 

“The jet stream, at this point, doesn’t look like it will be dipping. There are no indications of dipping over the next week,” Frank said. 

He says there are some precipitation chances for Sunday and Monday, but with mild air around, it will fall as liquid at the Jersey Shore.

But by the middle of next week, temperatures are likely to turn below normal with near normal precipitation through the middle of the following week, according to Frank, who stresses that forecasts become more uncertain further into the future. 

That, of course, doesn’t mean snow, but if you’re a wintry weather lover, it’s a glimmer of hope.

Above image by @geoffrey.parry as tagged #JSHN on Instagram.