,Afternoon high temperatures rose past the freezing mark for the third consecutive day. It is a small achievement from this bitter winter period we are in.

Typically, afternoon highs should be around 41 degrees. While below normal for this time of year, and very similar to yesterday's high, it was as nasty as the last week and a half has been. The coldest stretch in 65 years!

Under mainly clear skies, tonight's forecast is chilling down quickly. Normal nighttime lows are usually around 26 degrees. With snow on the ground, clear skies and light winds, temperatures tonight will fade into the low teens.

I believe we can pull out one more day of the thaw. It looks like mainly sunny skies will help push temperatures back over the freezing point again for tomorrow. It is our 12th consecutive below-average day. Despite being below average, it will feel "nice" compared to the bitter cold looming for the weekend.

The end of the work and school weeks is the beginning of another spell of well below normal temperatures. Early sun will quickly fade behind a curtain of clouds. A fast-moving weather system will be approaching from Canada. Highs on Friday will peak in the upper 20s to low 30s.

The clouds will continue to thicken and the winds will begin to pick up. Some brief snow showers can be expected late Friday into early Saturday morning. It's possible New Jersey could see a freshening up of the existing snowpack. Are we expecting a shovel able snow? No, we aren't. However, we may have to brush off the steps and sidewalks. The cold that accompanies the snow is just downright impolite. The wind will make it frequently feel like 5 above to 15 below zero through the weekend. Stay warm!

~Dave