More cold, more snow coming to Morris County

The arctic weather that's ravaged New Jersey this winter is returning with a vengeance, as temperatures are expected to drop below zero Thursday night.

But first, another arctic cold front is expected to roll in Wednesday night, bringing snow squalls and frigid chills, according to the National Weather Service.

The cold front likely will bring light snow, but temperatures will be near zero in Morris County. While the winds will not be strong, but the wind chill will fall below zero once again.

"It's going to be brutal," said Kristine Kline, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. "It's going to be fairly similar to Sunday night into Monday just earlier this week."

The lows expected for Thursday night could reach similar extremes. The low temperature is expected to be minus 1 degree with a west wind around 11 mph.

The temperature Friday will bounce up to 15 but then fall back down to about 2 at night.

The good news is that the temperature on Saturday will warm up noticeablely; the high is expected to be near 31. The bad news is that snow is likely, though how much wasn't clear Tuesday.

A blanket of snow

Tuesday's snowfall dumped between 2 and 3 inches on Morris County and resulted in some school-opening delays and closings.

"By and large it was pretty close to what we predicted," said Patrick O'Hara, a Weather Service meteorologist. "I think some areas are going to come in a little higher, and some areas will come in a bit lower."

New Jersey has accumulated 29.6 inches this winter, according to a report by David A. Robinson, state climatologist. That's 6 inches above average but much less than the 54.3 inches last winter, which was the seventh snowiest since 1895.

What's next?

Steven DiMartino, a meteorologist who runs NY NJ PA Weather Service, said "Thursday night into Friday morning is going to be pretty nasty," DiMartino said.

An area of low pressure will bring a wintry mix of snow, sleet and possibly rain Saturday afternoon and last until Sunday, according to the NY NJ PA Weather Service. Lows will range from the single digits to a few degrees below zero, with highs ranging from the lower to mid-20s.

"It's definitely looking stormy, especially Sunday," DiMartino said. "It's a mixed bag of snow, with freezing rain."