Blustery Tuesday across NJ, driving temps down and fire danger up

The Bottom Line

The wind blows. That is going to be New Jersey's big weather headline for Tuesday. And that wind will have a few very important impacts on our effective weather conditions:

1.) The wind is physically transporting colder air into New Jersey, so we are cooling down for the foreseeable future.

2.) Wind gusts over 30 mph will add a definite "blustery" characteristic to the entire day. It's jacket weather.

3.) Fire danger goes up again, following Smokey Bear's holy trinity of dry air, dry brush, and gusty winds.

4.) Smoke from ongoing wildfires may be transported long distances, while the plume also gets dispersed (spread apart) by the strong winds.

Of course, this remains a dry forecast. There is one opportunity for showers coming up on Thursday, but that is about it for the week.

Remember: Every week we go without substantial rainfall digs us deeper into the drought deficit hole. Making impacts more severe. And making it even more difficult to eventually dig out.

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Tuesday

It is a breezy, cool morning with temperatures hovering around 50 degrees across the state. The wind will kick up a bit more beyond sunrise, with top gusts over 30 mph throughout the day. That is not enough to be "damaging," but it will be noticeable and blustery for sure.

Tuesday afternoon temperatures will only reach the lower 50s, at best. So thermometers really going nowhere fast in this new, cool, dry air mass.

The chilly wind will be set against a mostly sunny sky and dry weather.

Once the wind dies down beyond sunset Tuesday, temperatures will drop quickly. It is going to be a cold night, with most low temperatures dropping to around 30 degrees. I expect a widespread overnight freeze for the majority of NJ, excepting urban centers and the immediate coast.

Wednesday

The breeze will be lighter, but temperatures will stay on the cool side. Running about 5 to 10 degrees below normal, Wednesday will have an early December-ish feel to it.

It will be bright and sunny. And completely dry. But high temperatures will only reach about 50 degrees.

Thursday

Thursday flips to cloudy skies, with highs again near 50. By the numbers, it could be the coolest day of the week — not a great looking day, honestly.

A weak disturbance riding in from the west will increase spotty rain shower chances starting Thursday afternoon, lasting through Thursday night. Don't expect much here — those raindrops will be battling some very dry air. Fingers crossed we can at least squeeze out a few hundredths of an inch of rainfall.

Friday

Sunshine should return by midday Friday. And temperatures will respond, pushing back into the seasonable lower to mid 50s. As long as the day is not too breezy, it will be a fine end to this November workweek.

Saturday & Beyond

There is still not much "weather" of note in the extended forecast. Next weekend should feature bright skies and high temperatures mainly in the 50s. We could even see some 60s by Sunday afternoon.

There is still a storm system chance for early next week, presenting a rain chance in the late Sunday to Monday time frame. But rainfall totals will be meager at best, yet again.

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