New Jersey bracing for arctic cold, below zero wind chills
Two cold fronts will move across New Jersey Monday into Tuesday night and bring temperatures in the teens and single digits to the state, according to the National Weather Service's Mount Holly station.
High winds will create dangerously icy wind chills that have prompted the weather service to issue a Hazardous Weather Outlook for the region.
"We're actually really dealing with too cold fronts," said meteorologist Jonathan O'Brien of the Mount Holly station.
The two cold fronts create a "step down" of temperatures into Tuesday's polar cold, he said.
Monday's high temperatures with the first cold front will be in the 20s and 30s, but the second cold front to hit the area Monday evening will plunge air conditions to dangerous levels, O'Brien said.
"That's the one that's really going to release some artic air into the region, really for (Monday) night right through Tuesday night," he said. "There's going to be a 36-hour stretch of some very cold temperatures."
Wind chills will make those temperatures seem bitterly cold, reaching to near or below zero in the coldest spots, he said.
For those without reliable heat, the cold could be life-threatening. New Jersey counties announced that their "Code Blue" warming shelters would be opening in preparation of subfreezing temperatures.
Residents needing shelter from the cold should call 211 or the New Jersey homeless hotline at 877-652-1148.
Bergen County
In Paramus, high temperatures in the upper 20s on Monday will slip into the low teens overnight. Windy conditions will bring wind chills of 5 to 10 degrees.
Tuesday will be frigid, with high temperatures around 15 degrees and wind chills between five degrees and five below zero. Wind gusts could reach up to 28 mph.
Tuesday night will remain subfreezing, with high temperatures around 12 degrees. Winds will slow to around 6 mph.
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Cumberland County
In Vineland, Monday temperatures in the low-30s will slip into the teens overnight. Wind gusts up to 25 mph will make those temperatures feel even colder.
On Tuesday, high temperatures will reach the lower to mid-20s, but the wind chill will feel about zero. Tuesday night's low temperature will dip to about 10 degrees, but winds will be calmer at 5 mph.
Middlesex County
In New Brunswick, a Monday high temperature near 30 will drop to the lower or middle teens by overnight. Windy conditions will make the temperature feel closure to zero.
On Tuesday, conditions will warm a few degrees to near 20, but winds will continue to make the air feel closer to zero. Tuesday night will be frigid again, with a low near 10 degrees. Winds will be calmer at about 5 mph.
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Monmouth County
On Monday night, temperatures in Asbury Park will dip into the teens with wind gusts as high as 25 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Tuesday's high temperatures will be around 20 degrees, with gusty winds driving wind chills close to zero. Tuesday night temperatures will drop into the lower teens, but winds will be gentler at about 5 mph.
Ocean County
In the Bayville section of Berkeley, Monday night temperatures will dip to around 13 degrees with wind chills of about 1 degree below zero due to wind gusts reaching up to 25 mph.
Tuesday's high temperatures will reach into the lower 20s, but winds will make the temperature feel like 2 below zero. On Tuesday night, temperatures will dip to the lower teens with winds around 5 mph.
Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers Brick, Barnegat and Lacey townships as well as the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ weather: State bracing for arctic cold, below zero wind chills
