Next three days of NJ weather: Windy, cold, rainy

The Bottom Line

There is a great variety of weather in New Jersey's forecast through the closing days of January. Each day will look and feel completely different than the day before.

The big story for Wednesday will be wind, with top gusts over 40 mph.

Thursday will be a one-day cold snap, with high temps no better than the 30s.

Our next storm system arrives on Friday. And because it will carry warm air, it will be predominantly a rainmaker for New Jersey.

Saturday turns quiet. And a snow shower is possible on Sunday.

Now let's dig into the details.

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Wednesday

Another weak cold front will pass through New Jersey on Wednesday, introducing two effects on our weather: Wind and sprinkles.

Wednesday morning is calm and chilly, with most temperatures starting the day in the 20s and 30s.

The wind will really start to kick up by late morning, peaking for a few hours in the afternoon. Top gusts over 40 mph are likely. Initial winds will blow from the southwest. Behind the front, they will turn more northwesterly.

A Wind Advisory is in effect for all of New Jersey Wednesday, cautioning of potential wind gusts as high as 50 mph. That is enough to cause downed branches and sporadic power outages, driving difficulties, and flight delays. Your garbage can may blow halfway down the street too.

In addition to getting windswept, a few sprinkles and/or flurries are possible Wednesday afternoon too. But our atmosphere is so dry, it will be hard for these raindrops and snowflakes to even reach the ground. Don't expect much.

High temperatures should reach the mid to upper 40s for most of New Jersey. I could see a few 50-degree readings in South Jersey. (Although it will be difficult to enjoy the relative warmth because of the fierce winds.)

Low temperatures Wednesday night will be on the cold side, dipping into the 20s. A freeze for most of the state. And while winds will calm a little, it will remain breezy overnight, easily pushing wind chills into the teens. Bundle up!

Thursday

Thursday will be relatively quiet. But thermometers swing to cold side of normal once again.

Look for lots of sunshine Thursday, with late-day clouds building in. High temperatures will limited to the mid 30s. We will stay dry, and wind gusts should remain below 20 mph.

Friday

An area of low pressure driving in from the southwest will carry warmth and moisture into New Jersey. So this one is going to be mainly a rainmaker, making for an overall wet day across the state on Friday.

Having said that, there will be an opportunity Friday morning — depending how cold the air and ground air — for some wintry mix and freezing rain. The concern here is not necessarily for snow accumulation, but rather icing. This threat will be limited to a few hours early Friday, through mid-late morning. And it is primarily a concern for North Jersey, along and north of the Interstate 78 corridor.

Rain could become heavy at times through midday Friday, especially across central and southern New Jersey. Over an inch of total rainfall is possible — dashing our chance of a top 5 driest January on record, but definitely helping our "Extreme Drought" status.

Amidst the clouds and raindrops Friday, high temperatures will range from about 40 in North Jersey, to around 50 in the middle of the state, to potentially mid 50s in South Jersey.

Saturday

Drying out, clearing out, and chilling out. Although Saturday's latest outlook looks pretty pleasant by early February standards. (Yes, February begins on Saturday!)

I'll call the day mostly sunny, with high temperatures in the lower 40s. It will not be "warm" necessarily, but seasonable. Winds stay light and our weather stays dry.

Sunday & Beyond

For Sunday, we have been watching a weak and small piece of energy that could sideswipe New Jersey with some snow.

As I discussed on Tuesday, the storm track would have to be perfect to produce substantial accumulations in New Jersey. (On the order of a few inches.)

Latest forecast models have backed away from that perfection, putting just a dusting over northern New Jersey from snow showers on Sunday.

Otherwise, expect mostly cloudy skies and upper 30s on Sunday.

Current guidance suggests a mild Monday in the 50s, and then a colder Tuesday back to 40 degrees. As we hover on the edge between warm air and cold air, these flip-flops may continue through the first third to half of February.

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