March is supposed to come “in like a lion” and leave “like a lamb,” but it appears things will have been the opposite of the norm in 2022.
The National Weather Service forecast for the coming week includes an odd combination of bone-chilling temperatures, above-average temperatures reaching 70 or above, then the chance for wind and thunderstorms as a cold front rolls through.
The roller coaster of weather began Monday, with snow squalls moving through the region during the afternoon, as seen in our embedded video above. The snow did not accumulate, but 30 m.p.h. winds brought in temperatures which plunged into the low-20s overnight and will recover to just 42 degrees Tuesday.
It will be sunny Tuesday and breezy, with gusts pushing to 25 m.p.h. Likewise, Wednesday will see a high of 49 degrees under partly sunny skies with light winds.
Wednesday will bring in unseasonably warm temperatures. The high will vary greatly depending on proximity to the ocean and Barnegat Bay, but forecasters are predicting a high of 68 degrees directly along the shore, and up to 76 degrees inland. But there will be a chance of rain after 2 p.m., after which it will turn mostly cloudy.
Thursday evening into the overnight hours, a weather system representing a strong cold front will move through, bringing the potential for thunderstorms. Rain will become steady, mainly between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Thursday night into Friday morning. Temperatures will drop to a low around 49 degrees, then recover to a high of 58 degrees Friday, with skies eventually turning mostly sunny.
April begins Friday.
