Community Corner

20-Below Wind Chills a Rude Awakening Tuesday in North Jersey

Morristown opens warming centers in advance of frigid arctic air mass bringing gusty winds and dangerous temperatures to the region.

North Jersey residents woke up Monday to temperatures in the mid-50s. Tuesday will be a far different story.

A frigid Arctic storm system will cause temperatures to plummet by as much as 50 degrees by Tuesday morning, according to Frank Lombardo, meteorologist for WeatherWorks in Hackettstown.

"You don't see that very often," Lombardo said.

The wind chill factor will make zero degrees seem like a picnic. State residents will experience wind chills that make it feel like it's 20 to 25 degrees below zero due to strong Arctic gusts, Lombardo said.

The National Weather Service issued a wind chill advisory from 1 a.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The brutally cold temperatures will impact traffic for the Tuesday morning commute. "There will be patches of ice all over the state. Traffic slows in extreme cold combine with the gusty winds," Lombardo added.

During the cold crisis, the 3rd Floor Senior Center located at the Morristown Town Hall at 200 South Street, will be open as a Warming Center Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.. Residents in need of warming are also welcome to the Speedwell Avenue Firehouse warming station, located on the third floor. That warming station will be open at 10:00 pm Monday through 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. 

Even after the Arctic snap passes, it will still be a cold week. But Lombardo predicts temperatures will moderate for the rest of the month into what will be more normal for a New Jersey January, or even slightly above average temperatures.


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