Was Saturday night the last gasp of warmth in 2022 at the Jersey Shore?
It’s impossible to say for certain, but the National Weather Service’s long range forecast for the week ahead shows a dramatic cool-down which will plunge temperatures below the freezing mark for the first time since last winter.
A “widespread freeze” is forecast Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights this week, according to a hazardous weather outlook from the NWS office in Mount Holly. The coolest temperatures, locally, will be seen in the interior portions of Ocean County, while the immediate coast will be kept a few degrees warmer due to the ocean temperature.
The forecast calls for sunny skies Monday, but with a daytime high of just 48 degrees and a northwest wind blowing 10-15 m.p.h. But overnight, the low is forecast to be 33 degrees, making it a chilly morning. Between Monday and Tuesday, the overnight low will be 37 degrees.
Rain will move in Tuesday after 5 p.m., following a cloudy day with a high of 49 degrees. Overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, the low will dip down to 45 degrees. Rain will continue into Wednesday, tapering off by 5 p.m., the NWS said, with a high of 53 degrees. Overnight Wednesday into Thursday, the mercury will drop to 33 degrees. Thursday night is currently forecast to be the coldest of all, with a low of 29 degrees. Heading into next weekend, the low Friday and Saturday nights will both be 27 degrees.