This is the time of the year when snow fans in New Jersey usually get the most excited because February is typically the snowiest month of the year in the Garden State region. But is the weather pattern shaping up to support big snowstorms when February arrives on Saturday?

This week, the National Weather Service issued a new type of alert to better inform the public about the conditions we are experiencing.

Eight counties in New Jersey are under a winter storm watch, because of the possibility of heavy snow and dangerous road conditions

New Jersey will experience the coldest conditions of the winter so far over the next couple of days with temperatures below freezing until Friday, forecasters say. Highs will only reach the upper teens and low 20s on Tuesday and Wednesday before plunging into the single digits overnight with widespread wind chill values between 5 and -5 degrees,

An unusual weather phenomenon known as thundersnow was reported near Essex County Sunday evening, according to the National Weather Service. The rare weather event was reported around 6:17 p.m. Thundersnow is what happens when lightning can occur within snowstorms and is possible when there is a relatively strong instability and

The quick moving snowstorm brought frigid temperatures to New Jersey, with wind making it feel like single digits. The cold is expected to last all week.

Temperatures are expected to hit single digits, with wind chills in the negatives, after a Jan. 19 storm dumps snow across much of New Jersey.

Part of New Jersey could see a dusting of snow Thursday, but Sunday has more snow potential especially for the North Jersey region.

The NWS extends a Cold Weather Advisory for the region including parts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and southeast Pennsylvania.

It wouldn't be January in New Jersey without unpredictable winter weather, with snow squalls, rain, high winds and fluctuating temperatures expected.

Similar to Thursday, daytime highs on Friday and Saturday are expected to reach the low 30s. A few spots along the Jersey Shore and in South Jersey are likely to creep back above the freezing mark on Saturday. Highs in Atlantic City and on Long Beach Island are expected to hit 34 degrees.