Some areas of New Jersey could see their first frost of the fall season, or even their first freeze, this week. (File photo | Cleveland Plain-Dealer)

By Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Keep those extra blankets and fleece jackets handy. You will need them this week, as a batch of cold air invades New Jersey and makes mid-October feel more like late November.

Cold air sweeping down from southeastern Canada will push the thermometer down into the 30s Wednesday night into Thursday morning and Thursday night into Friday morning — across most of northern and central New Jersey, forecasters say.

Although it’s not a lock, some parts of the Garden State could see their first frost of the fall season and some areas — particularly the valleys of Sussex County — could get their first freeze, with the mercury making a run for 32 degrees.

"It could possibly reach or even go lower than freezing in some locations," said Chad Shafer, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's regional forecast office in New Jersey. "We can't rule it out at this point."

While frost — thin ice crystals — can cause minor damage to sensitive outdoor plants, a freeze can cause significant damage or kill unprotected plants.

UPDATE (OCT. 17): The National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch for Sussex County from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. Thursday and a freeze watch for western Passaic County from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. Thursday.

"Freeze conditions may damage sensitive vegetation," the watch says. "Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold."

The weather service says frost or a freeze is also possible overnight Thursday and overnight Sunday in Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset and Warren counties.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Early taste of winter?

So far this fall, which began on Sept. 1 in the meteorological world, no climate stations in New Jersey have recorded low temperatures of 32 degrees or colder, according to New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson at Rutgers University. However, a few places came very close to the freezing mark this past weekend.

The temperature in Berkeley Township in Ocean County dipped to 33 degrees early Sunday morning. Cloud cover actually kept the mercury from dipping that low in the normally colder northern areas of the state, Robinson noted.

Among the other cold spots Sunday morning were Basking Ridge in Somerset County and Pequest in Warren County, both recording lows of 35 degrees, and Sussex, Hopewell, Kingwood and Woodbine, all hitting 36 degrees.

UPDATE (OCT. 17): On Wednesday morning, the mercury dropped to 31 degrees in Walpack (Sussex County), 32 degrees in Basking Ridge (Somerset County) and 32 degrees in Pequest (Warren County). Those are believed to be the first freezing temperatures of the fall season recorded anywhere in New Jersey.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Hold onto your hat

Don’t let the sunshine on Wednesday fool you into thinking it’s a nice fall day.

Even though the daytime temperatures won’t be too bad — hovering in the mid-50s to low 60s — strong winds from a cold front will be blowing at 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as strong as 30 mph, forecasters said.

If the gusts go higher than that, the National Weather Service will likely issue a wind advisory for parts of the state.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

First frost and freeze of the season

Northern New Jersey usually sees its first frost of the fall season in early October and the first freezing temperatures (32 degrees) sometime during the first three weeks of October, according to data from the National Weather Service and Robinson’s office at Rutgers.

However, some valley locations can get frost as early as mid-September, and urban areas in the northeastern region of the state usually get their first fall frost in early November.

The weather service received reports of frost last weekend in Sussex County and northern Morris County, Shafer said, but it didn’t get cold enough for the season’s inaugural freeze.

The statistical average date of the first freeze ranges from Oct. 7 in Sussex County to Oct. 22 in Middlesex County and Nov. 19 in coastal sections of Atlantic County.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Parade Of Cold Fronts To Continuehttps://t.co/bK1qYrlnWq pic.twitter.com/MOVEujcOUg — NY NJ PA Weather (@nynjpaweather) October 16, 2018

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

The National Weather Service is predicting overnight temperatures as low as 32 degrees, and possibly lower, Wednesday night and Thursday night.

Don't Edit

More New York area weather

Don't Edit

More Philadelphia area weather

Don't Edit

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.