Temperatures to plunge Monday afternoon as arctic front arrives

     Regional temperatures at 9:45 a.m. Monday. An arctic front will sweep through today, plunging temperatures.

    Regional temperatures at 9:45 a.m. Monday. An arctic front will sweep through today, plunging temperatures.

    Don’t be fooled by the “mild” weather this morning.

    At 9:30 a.m., temperatures are in the 40s for most locations south and east of the New Jersey Turnpike, with Jackson the “hot spot” at 44 degrees. To the north and west of the highway, temperatures are still below freezing, but certainly not bitterly cold. 

    But around noon, an arctic front will sweep through the region, plunging temperatures from west to east, according to the forecast discussion from the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, NJ.

    Gusty winds — up to 40 or 50 mph — will accompany the frontal passage, the service advises, and a few snow showers, flurries, or sprinkles are possible. By tonight, we’ll be in the single digits and low teens. 

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    Tuesday through Friday “looks relatively quiet,” according to the service. Arctic air will be firmly in place Tuesday and Wednesday, with some moderation on Thursday. By Friday, some high temperatures could be above freezing. 

    Forecasters continue to monitor a snow chance for southeast New Jersey on Wednesday, as models have pulled a southern storm further to the west. 

    But nothing is set in stone.

    “It still looks to be too far east to have much of an impact for the region,” the service advises. “But if this westward trend continues, it could mean a big difference for both precipitation chances across the region and temperatures.”

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