Winter’s reprieve: Above average temperatures ahead this week

After a recent mild stretch followed by a few chilly days, another period of above average temperatures is set to begin this week and last through the end of the month.

“There is no chance of excessive cold in our outlook for the next two weeks,” a forecaster from the National Weather Service in Mount Holly wrote in the office’s morning discussion.

This week, temperatures will average about 8 degrees above normal tomorrow, followed by 10 to 15 degrees above average Wednesday though Sunday.

So instead of a spike to around 70 degrees like one day last week, the Jersey Shore is likely looking at high temperatures in the lower 50s. 

For the Shore, the average high temperature for this week ranges from around 40 degrees in northern areas to 42 degrees in Cape May, according to the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist.

The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center is currently projecting a high probability of above average temperatures from this coming Sunday through next Thursday.

From there, while the probability is not as high, the service expects above average temperatures through Monday, Jan. 30.

Temperatures during the first two weeks of January have averaged about two to three degrees above normal, according to the National Weather Service. 

In late December, National Weather Service meteorologist Lance Frank told NewsWorks why the the first days of 2017 would begin mild.

He said the jet stream, a fast flowing air current in the atmosphere, wasn’t predicted to dip south around the New Year, keeping more mild air moving up from the south and arctic air bottled up in Canada.

Cold shots have been transient as any jet stream dips have been temporarily. But will that last? 

The outlook for February, of course more than two weeks away, remains uncertain.