White Or Wet Christmas In NJ? Here's What's Expected

If you're hoping that Santa Claus has a nice, soft landing on some fluffy white snow next week, forget it. In fact, things could get slippery thousands of travelers in New Jersey over the holiday.

Even as temperatures drop slightly, New Jersey could very well have a wet, not a white, Christmas as rain is expected to fall on-and-off through the weekend, and on Monday.

Only a small part of the state - northern Sussex County - could get any of the white stuff as bigger storms pass through New York and New England, according to the National Weather Service.

Here's what it could look like when the kids wake up on Christmas Day:

Indeed, New Jersey could feel almost spring-like as temperatures are expected to range from the low 40s to the high 50s. Tuesday is expected to be the warmest day, reaching a high of 57 degrees.

Temperatures will drop mostly in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties by the time Christmas gets here on Monday, when some cold air is expected to pass through North Jersey. Warmer air will pass through the central and southern portions of the state.

Cold air that could impact the central United States is expected make slower progress in reaching the East Coast, according to AccuWeather.

This weekend, afternoon high temperatures in central and southern New Jersey could be as much as 15 degrees above normal. Highs will climb to near 60 in South Jersey on Saturday, while highs will reach the 50s in North Jersey, according to AccuWeather.

On Sunday, temperatures will return to near-normal levels for late December, ahead of even colder air. The exact timing of the coldest air's arrival will depend on how quickly the jet stream, and thus the cold, surges eastward, according to AccuWeather.

Here is the forecast:

• Tuesday afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. West wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Tuesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. West wind 6 to 9 mph.
• Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 44. Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph.
• Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. North wind 3 to 6 mph.
• Thursday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.
• Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48.
• Friday night: Rain likely after 8pm. Cloudy, with a low around 43. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Saturday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 59. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Saturday night: Rain likely, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39 and high between 55 and 60. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Sunday: A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 45. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
• Sunday night: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
• Christmas Day: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46 (low 30s possible in Sussex County). Chance of precipitation is 50%

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