Cold blast expected for weekend, but no snow

Many people may be enjoying lower heating bills this winter due to above-normal temperatures. But this weekend a cold, arctic blast could bring a reminder of how it is supposed to be.

Jim Merrell, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Newport, said the coldest days will be Saturday night into Sunday and Sunday night into Monday morning, when temperatures are expected to plummet into the mid-20s.

The weather service is calling for a slight chance of snow flurries Saturday night northeast of of the area, Merrell said.

“But don’t expect that to make it to New Bern,” he said.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center came out with a report at the end of January that indicated higher-than-normal temperatures could stay around until spring, with lower than normal precipitation, Merrell said.

“It looks like we will continue with what we have had over the winter,” he said.

So far it has been a very mild winter, Merrell said.

Average temperatures from December through January have been a little more than 4 degrees above what is considered normal for this time of year.

In January, the average temperature is normally 44.2 degrees. This year the average has been 48.5 degrees, Merrell said.

In December, the average temperature was 50.8, or 4 degrees above normal, he said.

“We are obviously above normal,” Merrell said. “It is milder compared to a normal winter.”

The cold snap will change that for at least a couple of days. Sunday’s high temperature is expected to be near 40, well below the normal temperature of 54 degrees, and Monday’s high won’t get out of the 40s.

But the cold blast won’t last too long. High temperatures are expected to be around normal Tuesday and Wednesday before hitting the lower 60s on Thursday.