From cool to cold: NJ temperatures to decline through the weekend
Wednesday will be cooler than Tuesday. Thursday will be cooler than Wednesday. Friday will be cooler than Thursday. Saturday will be cooler than Friday. Sunday will be cooler than Saturday.
See a pattern? Yes, we have a cooling trend in the forecast for the coming week. New Jersey is about to transition from "mild and comfortable" to "jacket weather" to "bundle up" by the weekend.
We're starting out fine on this Wednesday morning. As expected, skies have cleared overnight but temperatures aren't really that chilly. On average, you'll feel upper 40s as you step out the front door.
It will be a breezy and still mild day, as high temps make a run for the lower 60s Wednesday afternoon. We'll keep mostly sunny skies in the forecast through about the middle of the afternoon. Then clouds will start to roll back in.
Those clouds are part of a weak little atmospheric impulse riding through New Jersey late Wednesday. It will come with a slight chance for a few showers and sprinkles in the state — but don't expect much, as it certainly won't be anything like the soaking rains of Monday and Tuesday.
After raindrops exit Wednesday evening, we'll see partly cloudy skies with seasonably cool temperatures overnight. Low temperatures are expected to dip into the lower 40s, with some 30s and even patchy frost in the usual cold spots (NW NJ and the Pine Barrens).
Our progressive cooldown continues on Thursday. Despite sunshine and light winds, high temperatures will be limited to the mid 50s. Not a bad early November day, although slightly below-normal. Definitely back to all-day jacket weather.
New Jersey's next big rain chance arrives around Friday. I have to be approximate in my timing forecast here, as models are wishy-washy about the start and end time of the rain. It's a safe bet that Friday will be a wet day, with about a half-inch to an inch of total rainfall a good bet. Raindrops could start as early as Thursday evening (around 10 p.m.) Raindrops could linger through Saturday morning (around 8 a.m.) It will be a breezy and cool day, with high temperatures coming down to the lower 50s.
The good news for the weekend? It will be sunny! And dry! The not so great news? It's going to get pretty cold.
Saturday looks a bit gusty, with a westerly wind sustained at 10 to 20 mph and gusts as high as 35 mph. That's going to draw in cooler air. So, despite the bright blue skies, thermometers won't make it past the 50s Saturday afternoon.
Sunday will be the bottom of the barrel, temperature-wise. Morning lows in the 30s. Afternoon highs only in the mid to upper 40s. If the current forecast holds, it would be the Garden State's coldest day since April 15th.
Next week looks cool, in general. The long-range forecast shows the potential for a significant storm system around next Tuesday. Too early for details, but this could drive some heavy rain and wind into New Jersey. On the backside of this storm, a refresh of cold air could produce some snowflakes for much of the state. Too early for details or confidence in this forecast — just something we'll be watching over the next 6 to 7 days.