Don't pack away those T-shirts just yet. Our warmer-than-usual December is about to get even warmer.
If you thought it's been feeling warmer than usual this month, you're right.
But wait until the upcoming weekend, and you might be wearing a T-shirt if you venture outside to take a jog or put up your outdoor Christmas lights.
Temperatures across New Jersey are expected to hit 60 degrees on Saturday and Sunday -- 15 degrees above the normal high of 45 for this time of year.
"It has been a warm start to December," said Valerie Meola, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Mount Holly. "Normal highs are typically in the 40s for this time in December."
So far this month, the high temperature in most towns across the Garden State has hit 50 degrees or higher every day, and Monday is expected to be the same. The high could struggle to get past the upper 40s on Tuesday, but after that the mercury should creep up into the low- to mid-50s before hitting 60 this weekend, even in northern counties, forecasters say.
PLUS: Newark ties record for warmest November
Although the warm December days may seem unusual, they're not likely to smash any records.
The high in New Brunswick Monday is forecast to reach 54, but the city's record high for this day is 77 degrees, according to AccuWeather data. That high was reached in 1998.
With temperatures in the 50s every day this month so far, Meola said, Newark's December high has been running 6.4 degrees above normal, Trenton's high has been 5.7 degrees above normal and Atlantic City's high has been 5.9 degrees above normal.
NO THREAT FROM COASTAL STORM
Tuesday is shaping up to be the coolest day of the week, with some cloud cover over parts of the state, but a coastal storm that is developing near North Carolina Monday is not expected to impact the Garden State, Meola said.
"All indications are showing the storm will remain off shore," she said.
The only possible impact on New Jersey, she said, is cloud cover and the possibility of light rain in coastal southern areas of the state late Monday night.
That potential coastal storm for this week is now an 'off-the-coast' storm. Precipitation forecast for next 3 days. pic.twitter.com/IeHTMuFUdE
-- Gary Szatkowski (@GarySzatkowski) December 7, 2015
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
