Icy streets again this morning; snow by midweek

Cold temperatures once again turned streets into skating rinks all across New Jersey this morning.

Here are your weather headlines for Monday, January 19, 2015:

Freeze, Refreeze, Repeat

The big weather story yet again this morning? In the words of Vanilla Ice, "Ice ice baby!"

Temperatures this morning have fallen into the lower 30s across most of New Jersey, and that cold air has refrozen many surfaces that were left soaking wet from yesterday’s rain. Untreated roads, sidewalks, and cars have yet again developed a glaze of ice, making this morning incredibly slick and unsafe. I’m hesitant to mention that the ice will be a bit less dangerous today than yesterday; road crews were better prepared today for this refreeze. However, don’t let the ice make for a nasty surprise as you’re rounding a curve or taking an on-ramp a little too fast.

The good news here, especially in comparison to yesterday’s freezing rain event, as soon as temperatures climb into the mid 30s (by mid to late morning), the ice will melt quickly and the threat for ice-related accidents will disappear with the midday sun.

Quiet and Mild

As high pressure takes control of our weather for today and tomorrow, the weather will remain quiet and temperatures will be relatively mild. Highs in the lower to mid 40s for both days will be a hair above average for this time of year.

Midweek Snow

On Wednesday, a clipper storm system will push into New Jersey from the west. As it does, we’ll add a chance for snow and/or rain across the state pretty much all day. Because the precipitation type will be so sensitive to temperature, it’s impossible to say exactly where the rain/snow line will end up at this point. Additionally, dry air has been present for most of January so far, and that would serve to counteract any precipitation this storm system tries to throw at us. This won't be a "major" winter storm, but could still have some wintry impacts for New Jersey. Here's how Wednesday could play out:

Low Scenario: Temperatures will hover in the mid 30s for most of the day, so the vast majority of the precipitation would be rain. Since the precipitation would also be light, hardly any accumulation would occur.

High Scenario: The storm system moves in on Wednesday morning, with colder temperatures, and the dry air ultimately doesn’t come into play. Snow totals of 1 to 4 inches would be possible, especially across the central and southern parts of New Jersey.

Most Likely Scenario: Somewhere in the middle… Snow in North Jersey, rain in South Jersey. Maybe an inch or two of accumulation where the snow hangs on the longest.