Still chilly Tuesday in NJ, but warmup by Thanksgiving

Following one of the coldest mornings of the season so far, temperatures will moderate with quiet weather expected through Thanksgiving.

Here are your weather headlines for Tuesday, November 24, 2015...

Brrr...

Wow... This morning's cold is kind of a shock to the system, just because we haven't seen such a hard freeze yet this season! With widespread 20s and a few teens across the Garden State, it feels more like a late December day than late November. No record lows, but we are about 10 degrees below normal.

A coat or jacket will be a necessity to start this Tuesday, and you might consider a hat and gloves if you'll be waiting outside for a bus or train. We will see some clouds stream through the sky this morning, and light radar echoes suggest a few flurries are possible as well. High temperatures should improve upon Monday's numbers by a little bit, reaching the upper 40s this afternoon.

Tonight will be cold again, with most lows ending up in the upper 20s to lower 30s. Another freeze is likely for all but coastal and urban areas.

Wednesday will feature mostly sunny skies and another bump-up in temperatures. Thermometers should reach the lower 50s in most spots.

Mild Thanksgiving

Our forecast for Thanksgiving Day pushes high temperatures to about the 60 degree mark, under a mix of sun and clouds. There is admittedly one model - the NAM - that insists upon some persistent light showers coming on-shore on Thursday. But that model is an outlier, as the GFS and Euro both keep New Jersey dry.

Morning fog, mostly cloudy skies, and an occasional stiff breeze will greet shoppers on Black Friday. It should be the warmest day of the week, as highs push into the lower to maybe mid 60s.

The Weekend Proper

Don't be fooled into thinking the warmth will last long... A cold front will push into New Jersey late Friday night through early Saturday morning. While the front looks mostly dry on the models, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few showers (especially as our atmosphere becomes more humid late in the week). More importantly, temperatures will take another tumble this weekend. Saturday will be cool and blustery, with highs in the mid 40s and winds up to about 20 mph. Sunday will improve to about the 50 degree mark with lighter winds. The next chance for appreciable rain will be on Monday.

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.