Bitter cold will remain in place in the tri-state area through early Monday, Feb. 9, but a shift is on the way, with temperatures forecast to climb above freezing by Monday afternoon.

Those heading out this evening will not have to deal with snowfall, though they should dress for the cold, according to James Tomasini, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Brookhaven office.

An extreme cold warning issued by the National Weather Service is set to remain in effect tonight.

Alongside the arctic air, gusty winds are expected to persist through tonight. However, they will be weaker than yesterday’s powerful gusts, which prompted officials to caution about possible power outages and encouraged residents to stay indoors.

A cold weather advisory will take effect from 1 p.m. Sunday through 10 a.m. Monday. During that period, wind chills are expected to make temperatures feel like below 15 degrees to below 25 degrees Sunday morning, and between below 5 degrees and below 15 degrees from the afternoon into early Monday.

Gusts approaching 35 mph are anticipated later in the day, and officials warn that frostbite and hypothermia are possible if people do not take appropriate precautions.

Exposed skin could develop frostbite in as little as 15 to 30 minutes. The sustained freezing conditions may also cause inadequately insulated water pipes along exterior walls to freeze and burst.

According to Tomasini, wind gusts measured Saturday afternoon into the early evening reached 52 mph at Teterboro Airport, 45 mph in Fair Lawn, and 40 mph in Wayne.

Those winds caused damage on Saturday, Feb. 7, when the roof covering the gas pumps at the Pompton Lakes Delta station on Wanaque Avenue was blown down. City officials said the debris has since been cleared and the station has reopened.

Conditions are expected to improve beginning Monday, with daytime highs reaching the low 30s. Tomasini said temperatures will continue trending upward as the week progresses. Starting Monday morning, “we’re looking at highs starting to increase each day through the middle of the week. By Tuesday, it will feel more moderate, with temperatures in the mid- to upper-30s, he said.

“It will feel warm compared to yesterday and today, but those temperatures are still below normal for this time of year,” Tomasini said. “We will still see several days of 5 to 10 degrees below normal but it won’t be as cold as these arctic air breaks we’ve been experiencing the past couple of weeks.”

He noted that average temperatures for this point in the season are usually around 42 degrees.

Meanwhile, the deep cold early Sunday set a new daily record in Bergenfield, according to Bob Ziff, a spokesperson for North Jersey Weather Observers in Ramsey. Temperatures there dropped to 2 degrees, surpassing the previous record low of 9 degrees set in 1995.

{Matzav.com}