If your heavy coat has been tucked away so far this winter, this is the week to bust it out. New Jersey is dealing with its coldest stretch of weather in years.

"It looks like the two coldest days this week are going to be Tuesday and Wednesday," said Kristin Kline, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

Cold Weather
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Temperatures each day are expected to top out in the middle 20s for most of New Jersey. In the northernmost counties, highs should only reach the lower 20s.

The bitter cold will be mostly felt during the nighttime and overnight hours, particularly Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Temperatures could drop to the single digits and feel close to zero degrees with any added wind.

"This probably is the coldest air that we've had in at least a couple of winters," Kline explained. "The weather pattern has changed, and it's allowing this cold air to come down from Canada."

Kline said last January did see a day or two of similar cold weather, but nothing that can be compared to the current stretch.

Fortunately, the cold weather through Thursday shouldn't be accompanied by any type of winter precipitation. The weather is expected to remain calm until the end of the workweek, when temperatures start to rise.

"There's the possibility for another low-pressure system to move in on Friday," Kline said.

Right now, the details are uncertain in terms of the system's track and where the mercury will settle on that day. Either way, much of the state can expect rain or snow Friday.

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