March lion roars: Gusty winds and wild temperature swings for NJ

The Bottom Line

You know the saying: March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb. I can't speak to the "lamb" part, since that's four and a half weeks away. But I think the transition from February to March fully qualifies as lion-ish, with a gusty wind kicking in and some big temperature changes ahead too.

Which weekend day will be the best? That is hard to answer. Saturday will be windy, but fairly warm. Sunday will be cold, although sunny. It all depends on your needs and perspective.

Our next big storm system arrives in the middle of next week. As it stands, warming temperatures should lead to a period of soaking rain for New Jersey.

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Friday

This week has been phenomenal so far. But cooler air has returned. And New Jersey will not hit 60 degrees on Friday.

Having said that, the end of the workweek won't be terrible.

We are starting with temperatures around 40 degrees Friday morning. Highs will reach about 45 to 50 degrees in the afternoon. That is still a hair above normal for late February.

Expect mostly sunny skies and a stiff breeze, blowing out of the west up to 20 mph throughout the day. Friday should stay dry.

Friday night looks quiet and uneventful too. With a few clouds building in, low temps will again dip to around the 40-degree mark by Saturday morning.

Saturday

Another warmup kicks in to start the weekend and month of March. Only temporary this time though.

With mixed sun and clouds, highs should reach the mid to upper 50s around midday Saturday. I suppose there is a chance for some 60s if the warmth really starts to run away.

More importantly, Saturday is going to be a windy day. Especially after an afternoon cold front, gusts as high as 30 to 40 mph seem likely. Not quite enough to ring alarm bells for wind damage, power outages, and driving difficulties. But still very much noticeable.

By the way, that cold front may spark a quick shower or sprinkle, but I doubt it. It is going to be moisture-starved, with a very dry (and cold) air mass coming in behind it.

Sunday

Oof, keep those nice, warm, springlike 50s and 60s in mind as you go outside Sunday. It is back to "bundling up," as we face a couple days of bitterly cold and blustery weather.

Sunday morning's low temperatures will tumble to around 20 degrees.

Sunday afternoon's high temperatures will only reach the mid 30s. Barely above freezing.

And yes, it will be breezy. So the biting wind chill ("feels like" or "apparent" temperature) will rise no higher than the 20s all day.

But hey, at least it will be bright and sunny all day Sunday.

Monday

Monday will be unseasonably cold too, with highs only improving to the upper 30s. It will be mostly sunny with lighter winds.

The Extended Forecast

Temperatures will continue to moderate through the middle of next week, reaching around 50 degrees on Tuesday and near 60 degrees on Wednesday.

However, a broad storm system comes into view for Wednesday that could be a good soaker for New Jersey. Over an inch of rain is possible for at least part of the state. And it might even be an all-day washout. Just what the "drought doctor" ordered.

There is no significant threat of wintry weather on the horizon for the Garden State, for the next week at least. It looks like we will have a mix of cold and warm weather through the middle of March — I am not ready to bang the gavel on NJ's snow season just yet.

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