Cool, quiet weather Tuesday for New Jersey
The February chill is back! As of this writing, temperatures have fallen into the 20s across most of New Jersey, with wind chills in the teens. Not quite "frigid," but certainly reason to bundle up a bit as you prepare for the day.
We'll enjoy beautiful bright sunshine for Tuesday morning, before clouds slowly increase through the afternoon hours. The stiff breeze will diminish by Tuesday afternoon too. High temperatures will end up just shy of seasonal normals, in the upper 30s to around 40 degrees.
Tuesday night shouldn't be as cold, thanks to mostly cloudy skies acting as a "blanket" of sorts. Thermometers should fall to around the 30-degree mark.
The daytime hours on Wednesday look quiet, although clouds will almost certainly win the sky. As we feel the effects of a warm front lifting through New Jersey, high temps should improve to the upper 40s to lower 50s. That is decidedly above normal for mid-February, and just the start of a 2.5-day warming trend.
As that front lifts to just north of the Garden State, it will serve as a "highway" for future storm systems to track along. The first of which will arrive Wednesday night, between about 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Expect a quick hit of rain overnight — nothing wintry here, as low temperatures will only fall to the upper 30s to lower 40s.
Thursday will be cloudy but warm, with highs bumping back into the lower to mid 60s. I suspect the day will be a bit wet too, with rain showers possible (especially early and late). Don't expect anything like the heavy, steady rain we saw over the weekend — this will be more along the lines of scattered showers. And again, just rain.
The start of Friday will remain warm and wet. But a fierce cold front will put an end to the near-record temperatures. A brisk 25+ mph wind will kick up by Friday afternoon, forcing temperatures downward.
Our return to the cold side of the world on Saturday might be a bit of a shock to the system. Morning lows will probably be in the 20s, with highs limited to the mid to upper 30s. At least skies will clear away to sunshine to start the weekend.
Saturday's unseasonable cold will not last long, as models suggest another warmup to the 40s on Sunday and 50s on Monday. As mostly mild temperatures take over the forecast, any precipitation next week looks to be mostly/totally rain.
There are no major winter storms on the horizon for New Jersey.