Polar vortex! Major Arctic explosion heading for New Jersey next week

The coldest air we’ve seen so far this winter is expected to visit the Garden State early next week.

Yes, this is where the recurring term “polar vortex” comes into play.

In the words of the late comedian George Carlin, “It sounds important, but it’s not.”

Well, in this case it is. I mean, you don’t want to be surprised by single-digit temperatures right after the weekend.

But it’s also January and that shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

As a reminder, a “vortex” is a counterclockwise flow of air that helps keep cold air near the poles (“polars”). A “polar vortex” is always sitting there and every now and then decides to pay us a visit.

But before we move on, here’s a random picture of the Jersey Shore in the middle of summer and a reminder that Memorial Day is still about 18 weeks away…

Back to reality… Other than that, January is going to feel like January here after a relatively mild weekend.

It looks like much of the state will be at or above 40 degrees on Saturday and Sunday before the lower limit drops.

The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Mt. Holly had this to say Wednesday afternoon:

Monday through Wednesday (next week) and beyond will see the coldest air mass yet this season as Arctic air is expected to prevail across much of the (United States) from the Midwest eastward across much of the Northeast.

And Townsquare Media’s chief meteorologist Dan Zarrow agrees, saying:

Ha, and you thought January was cold so far? Just wait until next week.

When the weatherman starts laughing, you know it’s getting cold.

At this point, and this forecast is subject to change over the next few days, it looks like New Jersey could easily see low temperatures in the single digits early next week, with highs that could remain in the teens.

The “s” word (“snow”) is also around, but I suggest you turn to the writings of Dan Zarrow for his thoughts.

Regardless, now would be a good time to think about whether pipes could freeze and how your car handles the cold (mine seems to have an attitude when it’s bitterly cold).

As an avid weather nerd, I hate overhyped weather events (hence the lack of over-produced, scary-looking weather maps here), which you’re sure to see a lot of on TikTok and YouTube in the next few days. So here it is, plain and simple: it looks like it’s going to be really cold next week. Have a thick jacket ready.

And as your mother would say, “Where are your gloves?”