The National Weather Service is warning of a strong storm system that will sweep through the region from Thursday through Christmas weekend, bringing heavy rain, gusty winds and freezing temperatures dropping into the 20s or lower.
Rainfall will begin Thursday and continue through midday Friday. The rain may be drenching at times, with a total of 1 to 3 inches, although locally higher amounts may lead to minor flooding in some areas.
South winds will increase to 20 to 30 mph late Thursday night. Gusts around 40 to 50 mph are expected at the shore on Friday through Friday night as a strong cold front passes through the area. There could be localized wind gusts of up to 60 mph.
Winds may lead to downed trees and power outages. Also, the passage of the cold front will bring a very sharp drop in temperatures, leading to a quick freezing of any wet surfaces. This could create very icy conditions with potentially hazardous travel, according to the forecast.
Widespread minor coastal flooding is expected to impact the high tides Friday morning and afternoon. The shore remains under a Coastal Flood Advisory from 4 a.m. to noon Friday.
For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, an Arctic blast will cause temperatures to plummet into the 20s. Nighttime lows are expected to dip into the teens, with the wind chill making it feel like it’s in the single digits or a few degrees below zero in some parts of New Jersey, according to the National Weather Service.
It could possibly be the coldest Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in New Jersey since 1989.
