WEATHER ALERT: Blustery Wind Chill Temps To Plunge Below Zero In New Jersey

An arctic air mass coupled with strong winds will make for dangerously cold temperatures throughout New Jersey on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Wind gusts of up to 50 mph are expected overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

After a day of light but persistent snow Tuesday, area temperatures will hover in the low 20s Wednesday - but then drop into the single digits Wednesday night.

The weather will be 15 to 30 degrees lower than the actual temperature in New Jersey on Wednesday and Thursday as the state

The National Weather Service has declared a Wind Chill Advisory throughout New Jersey for 7 p.m. Wednesday, through 8 a.m. Thursday. With the advisory comes wind chill readings as low as 15 below.

Here is an hour-by-hour schedule of the surface and wind-chill temperatures in Middlesex County:

Temperatures are expected to dip even more as the sun goes down Wednesday. According to the Weather Channel, as you prepare for your evening commute at 5 p.m., it will be about 19 degrees outside, with a wind chill that will make it feel like 4 degrees.

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By 8 p.m., that wind chill will feel a few degrees below zero. By midnight, temperatures will be in the single digits with a wind chill that will feel like 8 degrees below, the Weather Channel said.

Even the sunshine Thursday won’t bring too much relief. Thursday’s temperatures will be in the teens for most of the day. By Friday, the temperature is expected to hover right around freezing, with a high of 33 predicted in the Philadelphia suburbs.

“The combination of an arctic air mass combined with gusty winds will result in dangerous wind chill values,” according to the National Weather Service.

A “Code Blue” already has been called in New Brunswick and Camden for Tuesday. Residents of New Brunswick without adequate shelter from the cold can go to the Elijah’s Promise Soup kitchen, located at 18 Neilson St. between the hours of 8 p.m. tonight and 7 a.m. Wednesday.

If needed, transportation will be provided by local emergency responders. The Homeless Hotline will serve as a communication and assistance hub during Code Blue. The phone number for the hotline is 2-1-1 or 877-652-1148.

A Code Blue advisory was also issued for Camden County effective from 6 p.m. Jan. 5 through 7 a.m. Jan. 6, and from 6 p.m. Jan. 6 through 7 a.m. Jan 7.

The Montclair, N.J. Ambulance Unit relayed the message that these frigid conditions can be dangerous to anyone outside and that extended exposure can lead to frost bite and hypothermia.

“If you must venture outdoors, make sure you wear a hat and gloves,” the Montclair Ambulance Unit directed in a statement Tuesday afternoon. The unit added that residents are urged to check on the elderly and bring pets indoors.

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