Coastal storm just won’t leave NJ alone: Cloudy, breezy, more flooding

Before I dive into the forecast, let's first recap our coastal storm's impacts, by the numbers. Top rainfall totals were in central Ocean County, just over 4 inches. The wind verifiable wind gust I could find was 62 mph at Island Beach State Park. And unfortunately, the coastal flooding was just as bad as expected. Monday afternoon's high tide was one of the top 5 highest crests ever recorded at tide gauges all around the Barnegat Bay and Manahawkin Bay.

I think all New Jerseyans are looking forward to calmer seas and brighter weather. Improvements Tuesday will be slow, as morning sprinkles transition to drier weather, clouds hang on all day, and breezy conditions persist. Coastal flooding will still be a concern until back bays are able to drain, although the next few high tide cycles are forecast to crest in the "minor" category — much lower than Monday.

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Tuesday NJ weather: Slow improvements

Tuesday will not be a nice day, per se. But our weather will start to trend drier, calmer, and brighter — a nice change of pace from the last three days of stormy conditions.

We are waking up to damp conditions, with some spotty showers and sprinkles and mist around, especially near the coast. By mid-morning, dry weather should prevail.

The rest of Tuesday will be overcast to mostly cloudy. There is a chance for one or two peeks of sun through the afternoon. It will stay breezy too, with gusts to 20 mph inland and 30+ mph along the coast.

Coastal flooding remains a concern, as back bays remain full and winds continue to push ocean water toward our shoreline. A Coastal Flood Advisory continues until Wednesday night for a few more rounds of minor category flooding. The next several high tides should be markedly lower than Monday's serious bayside flooding, thankfully.

High temperatures Tuesday will reach about 60 to 65 degrees. Still a hair below normal for mid-October.

Tuesday night, skies will continue to slowly clear. Low temperatures will be comfortably cool, in the mid 50s or so.

Wednesday NJ weather: Finally a pleasant October day

Even though Wednesday is a cold front day, presenting one or two minor wrinkles, I think we will finally eke out generally nice weather.

Expect partly sunny skies in the morning. Then a quick shower may clip North Jersey around midday. Then sunshine takes over Wednesday afternoon.

High temperatures will push into the mid 60s. Lovely seasonable temperatures, with nice light winds.

Minor flooding will probably occur at both high tide cycles Wednesday. But that midday cold front will cause the on-shore wind to blow from the northwest instead. That will help the bays drain, putting an end to our coastal flooding nightmare.

Thursday NJ weather: Turning cooler

The big story for the end of the workweek will be a return to cooler than normal temperatures.

Thursday morning will be chilly, dropping to near 40 degrees. A frost is possible in NW NJ. (The growing season has already ended there, so do not expect any frost or freeze advisories to be issued, no matter how cold it is forecast to get.)

Highs on Thursday will be limited to the upper 50s to around 60 degrees. At least it will be bright and sunny all day.

Friday NJ weather: Bright and calm

Friday also looks good, although still technically on the cool side. Look for mostly sunny skies with highs in the lower 60s.

Saturday's forecast features a mix of sun and clouds with highs in the mid to upper 60s.

And then Sunday will start to turn unsettled, as another cold front looms closer. We will see mostly cloudy skies eventually. But highs will surge into the 70s to close out the weekend. Our next chance of rain will creep in eventually, but current model guidance holds that off until Sunday evening.

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