NEW JERSEY – Snow lovers in most parts of the Garden State may be underwhelmed during next week’s winter storm, forecasters said in an update Friday.

Though it’s still too early to tell how much snow will fall and where, New Jersey is slated to see more rain and/or a wintery mix rather than snow during a late winter storm set to hit the state Monday and Tuesday, per the latest predictions from the National Weather Service.

“The overall pattern is not very conducive to significant snowfall along and east of the I-95 corridor, as a nearly perfect balance of all these factors would need to take place,” the National Weather Service said. “Also working against snowier outcomes, fairly mild air and easterly winds flowing off the Atlantic on Monday should tend to keep the precipitation mainly in the form of rain outside of our far northwest zones.”

The counties most likely to see flurries are north of I-95, especially northwestern New Jersey, on Monday night into Tuesday morning, forecasters said.

However, if the storm strengthens into its “full potential,” additional sleet and snow accumulation could trigger travel delays into Valentine’s Day, which falls on Wednesday this year, AccuWeather said.

“The details of when, where and how much snow remain highly uncertain,” the National Weather Service added.

While South Jersey is most likely to see plain rain, there’s still a 40 percent chance of over 4 inches of snow in northwestern New Jersey and a 30 percent chance for about 2 inches of snow near I-95 in Philadelphia, per the National Weather Service.

“One thing is for sure, this storm will start a pattern that brings colder, more active weather from the Midwest to the Northeast with reinforcing shots of seasonably cold air masses with the potential for some clipper systems to bring snow events,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Dean DeVore said.

Though the 2023-24 winter season has seen far below the average snow totals so far, the ongoing El Nino climate pattern associated with coastal storms, temperature swings and snowier late winters in New Jersey may shake things up later this season, Patch previously reported. NJ Snowstorms Likely Into Spring, New Forecast Says

Regardless of whether the region will see snow or rain, Garden State residents will still be able to enjoy spring-like temperatures before any signs of next week’s storm, with high temperatures hovering around the 50s through Sunday.

Here’s the latest forecast, per the National Weather Service:

North Jersey

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. South wind 6 to 9 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. Southwest wind around 7 mph.

Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers after 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Southwest wind 6 to 14 mph.

Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Southwest wind 14 to 16 mph becoming northwest after midnight.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 46. Northwest wind around 14 mph.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.

Central Jersey

Friday: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 57. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers after 10 a.m. Cloudy, with a high near 59. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 51. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33.

South Jersey

Friday: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 56. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 38. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: A slight chance of showers after 10 a.m. Cloudy, with a high near 58. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Southwest wind around 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight.

Sunday: A slight chance of showers before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.