-20 Wind Chills, Intense Gusts Hitting NJ: See The Timeline

NEW JERSEY — Bundle up, New Jersey. A quick, intense cold front may reach its peak Friday night and Saturday morning, rivaling the Garden State's lowest wind chills this season, according to forecasters.

Most of the state will get wind chills as low as 10 degrees below zero, with northwestern New Jersey's reaching 10-20 below zero, according to the National Weather Service. The frigid temperatures combined with strong gusts could cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes, while creating the potential for sporadic power outages and bursting water lines.

A shift in the polar vortex — a storm at the jet stream level — unleashed a mass of cold air into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, according to AccuWeather. When the polar vortex remains strong, frigid air can't escape the Arctic. That's been the case for much of the mild winter. But in recent days, AccuWeather says the vortex has weakened and stretched just enough to allow bitter-cold air to move southward across North America.

Temperatures will continue declining throughout Friday and could dip 10-20 degrees lower, or more, than the start of the day, AccuWeather says. The arctic air will bring temperatures even lower Friday night, with gusts of 30-40 mph likely, especially in higher terrain, according to forecasters.

The National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories for Sussex and Western Passaic Counties. From 5 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday, local wind chills could hit 20 below zero and as low as 25 below zero in higher elevations, the agency says.

Arctic air will remain in place Saturday morning, according to weather officials. Winds will relax somewhat but remain breezy.

Saturday afternoon's temperatures will likely stay below freezing across the state, with the Interstate-95 corridor and areas to the northwest in the 20s, forecasters say. The surface high will shift offshore later Saturday, with warmer air moving in that night. By Sunday, above-normal temperatures will return, with highs in the upper 40s to low 50s in most of the region.

It could certainly be worse. Temperatures at the top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire could feel 80-110 degrees below zero on Friday night, AccuWeather predicts.

Here's the National Weather Service's latest North Jersey forecast:

• Friday: Sunny, with a temperature falling to around 17 by 5 p.m. Wind chill values between zero and 10. Blustery, with a northwest wind 20 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph.
• Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 9. Wind chill values between -5 and zero. Blustery, with a northwest wind 17 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 25. Wind chill values between -5 and 5. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
• Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a temperature rising to around 27 by 4 a.m. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. South wind 7 to 10 mph.
• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 45. Southwest wind around 14 mph.
• Sunday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33.
• Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 49.

Here's the agency's latest South Jersey forecast:

• Friday: Snow showers likely before 10 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a temperature falling to around 25 by 5 p.m. Breezy, with a northwest wind 20 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
• Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 12. Wind chill values as low as -1. Blustery, with a northwest wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 33. Wind chill values as low as zero. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
• Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph.
• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 49. Breezy, with a southwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
• Sunday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Breezy.
• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 49.