Newark, New Jersey – St. Patrick’s Day week across New Jersey could bring a final surge of winter as colder air spilling south from Canada increases the chance for late-season snow just days before the start of spring.
According to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center’s 8–14 day outlook, the period from March 15 through March 21 favors above-normal precipitation across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, while temperatures trend below seasonal averages across much of the eastern United States. The setup develops as a large cold boundary stretches from Maine through the Great Lakes and south toward Georgia and northern Florida, allowing colder Canadian air to spread along the East Coast.
That pattern places Newark, Trenton, Jersey City, Atlantic City, and New Brunswick in a zone where storm systems moving up the coast could combine with colder air, increasing the risk for late-season snow or rain changing to snow during St. Patrick’s Day week.
Drivers along major routes including Interstate 95, the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Interstate 78 should monitor conditions if storms begin organizing along the coast. Even light snowfall during mid-March can quickly create slick bridges and reduced visibility during the morning commute.
The timing is notable because daylight saving time begins this weekend, yet winterlike conditions may linger across the Mid-Atlantic even as the first day of spring arrives later that week.
Forecasters are expected to refine the storm track and temperature trends in the coming days, and additional advisories could be issued if coastal systems align with the colder air mass.
