February has been much colder than normal in most of the Northeast (Source: Northeast Regional Climate Center)
Talk about truly frigid weather!
It has indeed been much colder than normal in New Jersey and most of the Northeast this month, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center.
Temperatures averaged at least 6 degrees below normal in most of the Garden State from Feb. 1 to 15, according to a center map.
Story: Back-to-back arctic air, snow ahead for Jersey Shore
In Newark, for example, temperatures averaged 24.4 degrees - 8.9 degrees below normal - as repeated blasts of Arctic air kept most of the Northeast extremely cold, according to the center.
Temperatures in Atlantic City averaged 34.2 degrees, or 5.5 below the norm, according to the center.
Blog: NJ winter: cold but not that snowy so far
And the mercury is about to take another major plunge this week, according to the National Weather Service. Record low temperatures are expected, according to a forecast discussion.
In Freehold, the mercury is expected to drop to around 1 below zero Friday and Saturday mornings, according to a weather service forecast. Jackson forecasts call for readings of around minus-3 and 1 for those mornings.
Story: Freehold: Ground zero for snow?
Dangerous wind chill values are also expected Thursday night through early Saturday, according to a hazardous weather outlook. Wind chill advisories may be needed and it will be "rather cold again early next week."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has many tips for staying safe during cold weather and winter storms. So does the N.J. Department of Health.
Meanwhile, snowfall in February's first half ranged from below to above normal in New Jersey to way above normal in most of New England, according to the center.
Blog: NJ's snow depth record? 52 inches
Between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. tonight, we may get a quick half-inch of snow, causing hazardous travel conditions, according to the hazardous weather outlook.
A little bit of hazardous mixed wintry precipitation on Saturday may change to heavy rain on Sunday, the outlook says.
Snowfall departures during the first half of February (Source: Northeast Regional Climate Center)
