'Substantial' Snow Storm Could Slam NJ This Weekend, Forecasters Say

A downright frigid week in New Jersey could be capped off by a "substantial" storm dropping at least 5 inches of snow, according to the latest forecast.

"There is an increasing potential for the area to be affected by an impactful winter storm late Saturday through Sunday, however quite a bit of uncertainty in the forecast details still remains," the National Weather Service's Mount Holly bureau said Tuesday morning.

Leading up to that will be temperatures feeling like they are in the teens and single digits throughout the week. Things will warm up slightly into the 30s and 40s on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, but then drop back down, forecasters said.

That cold could help fuel snow this weekend.

“Cold air will still be in place the weekend of Jan. 24-25, and there is a signal that there can be a storm during that period, which can help to usher snow across the eastern U.S.," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Peyton Simmers.

It's much too early to have specifics, but early models show the potential for a significant amount of snow. The timing could be as early as very late day Saturday continuing through Sunday and possibly lingering into Monday, depending on its speed, National Weather Service forecasters said.

It appears the storm would be more focused on Central and South Jersey.

"We will stress though that even with this trend in the guidance, most east coast snowstorms typically drop their heaviest snows in swaths 50 to 100 miles wide or less," National Weather Service forecasters said. "And considering that the pieces of energy that will drive this storm are still thousands of miles away, that means it's much too early to have much confidence on how much snow will fall at any given location."

Patch will share updates as the forecast becomes clearer.