Weather in New Jersey: Snow, freezing rain, ice in the travel forecast for Christmas Eve

Snow, freezing rain and the possibility of a layer of ice in parts of New Jersey could make roads slick on Christmas Eve, one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Snow is expected to fall across most of the state on Tuesday morning and overnight temperatures will rise to around 20°C. According to the National Weather Service, amounts should remain below 1 inch.

The bigger concern is a change in freezing rain in parts of southern New Jersey that could leave a layer of ice.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties and Philadelphia from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Burlington County was added to the advisory shortly after noon Monday.

“Roads and especially bridges and overpasses will do it
“It will likely be slippery and dangerous,” the weather service said in the statement. “Plan for slippery road conditions. The dangerous conditions could impact Tuesday morning commutes.

Icy conditions could extend into Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean counties, although the weather service said there is less confidence in that forecast. No advisories have been issued for these counties.

Most New Jersey residents woke up Monday morning to temperatures below zero or in the single digits.

“These are some of the coldest temperatures we have experienced across most areas in about two to three years,” the weather service said.

Monday’s forecast calls for highs in the 30s under sunny skies before snow and freezing rain arrive overnight.

“Surface temperatures will be in the 20s through tonight,
“Warming above freezing will not occur until late Tuesday morning,” the weather service said. “As a result, there will initially be precipitation in the form of snow.”

The snow and freezing rain are expected to end around midday on Tuesday as temperatures rise to the upper 30s and lower 40s.

The forecast for Christmas Day on Wednesday is for dry and sunny conditions with highs between 30 and 40 degrees.

That’s still about 5 degrees below normal for this time of year, although it will be a welcome change from the bitterly cold temperatures over the weekend.

Thank you for trusting us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting us NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.