Above normal temperatures likely toward end of January

A January that has seen mostly bone-chilling Arctic temperatures is likely to end on a relatively mild note, forecasters say.

For the period of January 20 through January 24, on average, the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center forecasts between a 70 and 80 percent chance of above normal temperatures at the Jersey Shore. A 60 to 70 chance of similar temperatures continues through January 28.

It is due to the jet stream remaining north of the region and keeping cold air bottled up in Canada.

But the forecast doesn’t imply what you might consider warmth — it is relative.

In Toms River, the normal high temperature for the last 10 days of the month is around 41 degrees, according to the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist.

By Friday, high temperatures should reach around 40 degrees — or just about normal — before rising to the middle 40s on Saturday and upper 40s on Sunday, according to NOAA.

AccuWeather’s 10-day outlook shows temperatures, on average, above normal during next week.