Wednesday starts foggy across NJ, then turns brighter, breezier, and warmer

The warmup and January thaw continues Wednesday. But once again, we hit a couple of snags. First, pockets of dense fog will slow down the morning commute. Second, a stiff breeze will kick up as visibility improves around mid-morning. Otherwise, it will be a brighter and warmer day than Tuesday, with partly sunny skies and highs approaching the 50-degree mark. Thursday still reads as the nicest day of the week with plentiful sunshine and highs near 50. Thermometers will inch closer to 60 as the weekend approaches. But rain comes into view as well. Saturday looks particularly wet, with over an inch of rain possible throughout the day. Cooler air returns on Sunday.

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Wednesday NJ weather: Foggy then breezy

Following some spotty showers overnight, the big weather story to start Wednesday morning is dense fog around New Jersey. Visibility is at or below a quarter-mile in spots, which may slow your morning commute to a crawl. By the way, the fog is likely thickest where substantial snow and ice is on the ground, lending to an especially large thermal gradient. It also feels quite dank and damp to start the day, with temperatures in the 30s and 40s — but at least it is above freezing.

The turning point of the day will be about 9 a.m. give or take. That is when temperatures will rise enough and wind speeds will increase enough for fog to lift and visibility to improve.

Skies will become partly sunny through late morning, making for a much brighter sky than the past few days. It will stay breezy though, with regular wind gusts of 20+ mph. High temperatures are forecast to reach the upper 40s to around 50 degrees. That is about 5 degrees warmer than Tuesday. And now we're reaching for 5 to 10 degrees above normal for early January.

The wind will calm down just after sunset Wednesday evening. With a few clouds overnight, it will be chilly but not too cold overnight. Look for lows in the lower 30s or so.

Thursday NJ weather: Nicest day of the week

So far throughout this "January thaw" week, we have been plagued by so many "weather nuisances" — from clouds to showers to fog to wind. On Thursday, they all disappear. And that is why I am still calling it the nicest weather day of the week.

With mostly sunny skies, high temperatures will surge to about 50 degrees. Calm winds, dry weather. No problems — enjoy the continued ice melt and break from the chill.

Friday NJ weather: Even warmer, but more unsettled

Friday will warm up even more, into the lower to mid 50s for most of New Jersey. But our weather will turn more unsettled too.

There will be a chance of a shower in the morning. I suspect that will be a rain shower for most, although depending on exact temperatures, a few snowflakes can't be ruled out. More organized spotty showers will return by late afternoon.

In the middle, Friday will be mostly cloudy and quiet. So there will be time and opportunity to enjoy the mild temperatures.

Saturday NJ weather: Wet, wet, wet

This weekend's weather forecast isn't great. And frankly, it's going to feel pretty weird for January.

First of all, it is going to rain on Saturday. Pockets of steady to heavy rain look to move in starting mid-morning, and will probably last all day. While the latest model guidance has backed off a bit on rainfall totals, I still think an inch or two of rain is possible — while we really could use the rain, that is enough to ring gentle alarm bells for ponding and flooding issues.

So it will be wet and cloudy. But at least it will be relatively warm. High temperatures on Saturday will climb to about 50 degrees in North Jersey and 60 degrees in South Jersey. Those maximum temps will likely occur late at night, around Midnight. (Again, kind of unusual here in January!)

Sunday NJ weather: The big transition day

Sunday will begin where Saturday left off, warm and wet.

Around late morning, a cold front will put an end to the rain and to our January thaw. As we dry out and clear out during the day Sunday, temperatures will fall. While the early morning hours will be close to 60 degrees, it looks like we will settle in the 40s by the afternoon.

It will not be cold enough nor windy enough to call it an "arctic blast" but the transition will definitely be noticeable.

By Monday and Tuesday, we will fall into seasonable "typical" mid-January weather. It will be sunny and dry and crisp, with high temperatures in the lower to mid 40s. Not too cold, not too warm, just right.

Of course, the reintroduction of chilly air could set the scene for wintry weather in the long-range forecast. Both the GFS and Euro models show some snow in the 8 to 12 day time frame, suggesting our weather potentially turns more active heading into the second half of January. It is way too early for any confident details — we just have to wait and see how that plays out.

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