Really nice day Tuesday, showers and cooler weather on the horizon for NJ

Tuesday looks like a pleasant slice of October weather ... during the daytime hours, at least. We should see lots of sunshine, a much lighter wind than Monday, and seasonable high temperatures ending up somewhere between 65 and 70 degrees. After sunset, however, some spotty rain showers will drive through New Jersey. And then even though sunshine returns Wednesday, temperatures will take another step downward with a stiff breeze. By the end of the week into the weekend, it might be feeling pretty November-ish around here.

Get our free mobile app

Tuesday NJ weather: Dry day, wet night

After a blustery and pretty grey day Monday, Mother Nature will settle down and give us a really nice day for Tuesday.

We are definitely back on the chilly side Tuesday morning, with most temperatures in the 40s to start the day. There are some 30s in the usual cold spots. So grab a jacket for the morning. But I do not think you will need it later. Abundant sunshine will help high temperatures to about 65 to 70 degrees by Tuesday afternoon. Seasonable and comfortable and pleasant, with much lighter winds. This will be as warm as it gets for the next week at least — possibly through the rest of October.

Most importantly, our weather will stay completely dry during the daytime hours Tuesday.

Then, as another weak cold front approaches from the west, a round of spotty rain showers will push into New Jersey starting Tuesday evening. I do not expect much here — just some damp weather, like amounting to no more than a tenth of an inch or two of total rainfall. My best guess of the timing of potential wet weather is for first raindrops around 8 or 9 p.m. and then final raindrops by around 4 or 5 a.m.

That means we should largely start drying out and clearing out by daybreak Wednesday. Low temperatures should dip into the lower 50s or so overnight.

Wednesday NJ weather: Breezy and cooler

Wednesday flips right back to mostly sunny skies and dry weather. But it will be a breezy, somewhat blustery day. And temperatures will turn 5 to 10 degrees cooler.

Look for highs in the lower 60s on Wednesday. This will be the beginning of a stretch of slightly below-normal temperatures, both daytime and nighttime. (Average highs are in the mid 60s. Average lows right now are mid 40s.)

Thursday NJ weather: Feeling like fall

The stiff breeze may pick up again on Thursday, with a few extra clouds around. So we will call it partly sunny, as high temperatures will get stuck around the 60 degree mark.

Friday NJ weather: Staying cool through the weekend

The workweek will end with a sunny, calm, and relatively cool day. Highs on Friday will struggle to rise out of the upper 50s for most of the state.

And that will be the case for the final weekend of October too. My current forecast shows highs in the 50s for most of the state. Sunshine for Saturday, clouds for Sunday.

Models are hinting at a storm system at least coming close to New Jersey for the second half of next weekend. But I am not ready to declare Sunday a showery day just yet — let's see how things continue to develop.

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