After record-breaking rainfall, high winds and unseasonably warm weather Wednesday, the National Weather Service is predicting snowfall in South Jersey on Saturday.
“We don’t know how much,” said weather service meteorologist Walter Drag. “And there might be a mix of rain there along the coast.”
Precipitation should last 6 to 12 hours on Saturday, followed by blustery and unseasonably cold weather on Sunday.
“Probably, some of it will be snow, enough to whiten the ground, maybe in some places a little more than that, depending on how this all tracks,” Drag said.
Wednesday’s storm was more intense than what the weather service was predicting for Saturday.
“It won’t be nearly as serious, in terms of wind and heavy precipitation, as this storm from (Wednesday),” Drag said.
Wednesday’s storm set a record for daily rainfall, 2.6 inches, surpassing the previous record of 2.44 set in 2009, according to the National Weather Service.
“Yesterday was an unusual day,” said Drag.
Winds hit 50 mph in the Atlantic City area, and 70 mph near Barnegat Light. In Atlantic City, temperatures peaked at 55 degrees, 12 degrees above normal.
Despite high winds, power outages were not a problem following the storm. By 6 a.m. Thursday morning, Atlantic City Electric was reporting no major outages.
A coastal flood advisory from the National Weather Service was in effect until 10 a.m Thursday. In the morning, parts of Route 9, the Black Horse Pike and the White Horse Pike were closed and detoured due to flooding.
Drag said that December has been a warm month, but that the warm weather should end with Saturday’s predicted snow fall.
Contact David Simpson:
609-272-7204
