Christmas Travel Weather Outlook In NJ

NEW JERSEY — With less than a week until Christmas Day, many in New Jersey will soon be taking to the roads and sky to visit loved ones.

About 115.2 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the 10-day year-end holiday travel period with the most congested day on the road on Saturday, Dec. 23, projects AAA.

This is a 2.2 percent increase over last year.

For those heading out, what does the weather forecast look like on travel days?

Travel conditions both on the ground and air seem favorable in New Jersey for Thursday, Dec. 21, and Friday, Dec. 22.

"Conditions will be fairly good due to high pressure promoting tranquil weather across most of the East Coast and interior West. Key travel hubs in the East, such as Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston and Atlanta, may face limited weather-related delays or cancellations," according to AccuWeather.

On the West Coast, there are a few developing storms that could impact travel.

"A round of wet weather will cross the southern Plains from Thursday into Friday, bringing the potential for heavy rain to cities such as Oklahoma City, Dallas and Houston by the end of the week" AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Heather Zehr explained. "After a short break, another round of potentially travel-disrupting rains can move through over the weekend. This rain may linger into Christmas Day in some places."

For those planning on flying on Saturday, there are two separate storms that are moving into the Northwest and Southwest coasts possibly bringing snow in the mountains and rain showers creating poor travel conditions in parts of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona, according to AccuWeather.

Ending the week on Sunday, there is a possibility for rain and showers to develop in the center of the U.S. and could even bring a wintry mix or snow. While it is still too early to tell, more details on the storm will arise as it moves eastward.

Here is a look at the upcoming forecast:

North Jersey

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 38. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 44. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 29. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 41. North wind around 10 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.

Central Jersey

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 46. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 28. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 44. North wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 22.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 40.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24.

South Jersey

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. Northwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 45. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 27. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 44. North wind around 10 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 40.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26