Despite Cold Snap, NJ Winter Still Warmer Than Usual [AUDIO]

It's been a bitter cold week in New Jersey with temperatures well below freezing and we won't see relief until early next week. Despite the frigid temperatures, it still will likely be one of the warmer winters on record in the Garden State.

"We've had a few periods where we've had a day or two below freezing in recent years, but you have to go back to early February 2007 to find a cold stretch similar to this current one when there were five consecutive days when the temperature didn't make it above freezing," said New Jersey State Climatologist at Rutgers University Dr. David Robinson. "Last year we only had two such days in Newark. But, last winter was very mild. This winter has been mild to date, at least through last weekend. So, it's been a while since we've seen a cold snap like this."

So, when will we see a warming trend?

"The southern part of the state will climb above freezing by Sunday and maybe get into the mid-thirties. It may take until Monday for the northern part of the state to get above freezing," said Robinson. "By the time all is said and done, we may have six to eight continuous days below freezing, which is a pretty long stint. Looking ahead, during the early to middle part of next week, it's going to be quite mild. Then, we'll see temperatures dip again at the beginning of February."

"Up until early this week, January was running about six degrees above average across New Jersey and December was the fifth mildest in 119 years of record across the state. So, this current cold spell isn't even going to bring the month of January back to average temperature-wise. With next week's added warmth to finish out the month, this is a lock to be a month that comes in above average in the temperature department to go along with a mild December," said Robinson. "It would take a brutally cold February to bring the winter down to average, if not below average."