Rain clears out of New Jersey on Wednesday, but returns soon

As a coastal storm system slides further and further off-shore, New Jersey's weather will improve by Tuesday afternoon.

Here are your weather headlines for Wednesday, November 11, 2015...

Wet Weather Ends

Rain totals on Tuesday ranged from just a few hundredths of an inch in North Jersey to over 2 inches along the southern coast. Meanwhile, wind gusts to 40 mph were recorded along the Jersey Shore and there was a report of penny-sized hail in Mercer County. All around, a rainy day.

This morning, we are left with some lingering showers and sprinkles, along with some puddles and slippery roads. Even though falling rain will end by mid-morning, we should all continue to use caution as the leaf-covered wet roads will continue to be slick.

Skies should clear a bit, and I expect a few breaks of sun by this afternoon - especially for the southern half of New Jersey. We will have a bit of a breeze through the early afternoon too, up to about 20 mph. High temperatures will be very similar to the past few days, between about 56 and 63 degrees. That's just above normal for mid-November.

With just scattered clouds tonight, low temperatures will fall into the 40s. As this will be cooler than the past couple of mornings, be prepared to fight Thursday morning's chill with a jacket.

Another Round of Rain

A powerful storm system will barrel through the Midwest today, causing a variety of weather from winter storms to tornadoes. As this system approaches the East Coast tomorrow, it will take a turn toward the north, and lose a lot of its "oomph"... That's good news for New Jersey, as we'll avoid the biggest baddest impacts of this system... But the trailing cold front will still bring some changing weather conditions for Thursday and beyond.

A round of showers will sweep through the Garden State during the daytime hours on Thursday. Some marginally gusty winds are possible from this line of rain, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few embedded thunderstorms as well. Widespread severe weather is not expected, but we'll still have to watch this line of storms carefully (especially the wind threat).

I don't think Thursday will be another washout per se, but when it's not raining we'll probably see mostly cloudy skies and breezy conditions. We'll stay in the warm sector for one more day, and high temperatures should still make it into the lower 60s.

Cooler Temps

Behind the rain will come the cold front, and a gusty 25+ mph wind on Friday will prevent temperatures from climbing above the 50s - close to normal for mid-November. It will feel a bit cool and blustery, but at least we'll see plenty of sunshine to close out the workweek.

The weekend is looking mighty "November-ish" for the weekend as well. Saturday looks to be the coolest day of the week, with highs in the lower 50s at best with a continued gusty wind. By Sunday, the wind will calm a bit and temperatures improve to the mid to upper 50s. Both weekend days will stay dry and will feature abundant sunshine.

The early forecast for early next week shows a warming trend, with 60s returning to thermometers for Monday and Tuesday.

One more note... The effects of now-Hurricane Kate are starting to be felt in Bermuda today. Kate is still heading out to sea, with no direct impact on the U.S. East Coast.

Dan Zarrow is the Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter for the latest forecast and realtime weather updates.