NJ weather: Sunny skies and quiet weather to start the new week

The Bottom Line

This weekend's weather was not exactly perfect. Lingering rain Saturday morning dampened some outdoor plans. And then Sunday turned dismally cloudy and uncomfortably cool.

Better weather is ahead for the majority of the week. If you like sunshine, you're going to like the majority of this forecast.

The one hiccup? Wednesday, which will be our one chance for some rain showers and elevated wind speeds. Another batch of rain is possible over the weekend too.

Otherwise, it will be sunny and dry. The only thing missing for now is real warmth — temperatures will still be at or below seasonal normals throughout the week.

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Monday

The new workweek starts with a definite chill in the air, and some frost on the ground. Monday morning is our coldest start in almost two weeks, with temperatures deep in the 30s across most of the state. (Even some 20s in the coldest corners.) Grab the heavier jacket, and get ready to warm up the car for a few minutes.

Sunshine will cut through the chill by mid-morning, and temperatures will respond nicely. Look for highs Monday afternoon around 60 degrees. Noticeably warmer than Sunday. Although still a bit below normal for this time of year.

Monday will be bright and sunny from start to finish. And completely dry. WInds will start on the light side, blowing out of the northwest up to about 15 mph.

Monday night stays quiet, although cool. Look for lows around 40 degrees.

Tuesday

Another nice April day.

Tuesday will be a bit breezer and slightly warmer than Monday. We will once again enjoy sunshine and blue skies for a majority of the day — although clouds could start to increase by sunset.

Highs on Tuesday will bump to about 60 to 65 degrees.

Wednesday

The one inclement "blah" day of the week, with rain and wind both in play.

The best chance of rain will come in the form of scattered showers Wednesday morning. A few lingering raindrops can not be ruled out later in the day, but I think the first half of the day will be the wettest. (And even that is not saying much — rainfall totals will be no more than a few hundredths of an inch here.)

Otherwise, Wednesday will be mostly cloudy — allowing for some peeks of blue sky through the afternoon. And pretty windy, with gusts potentially exceeding 30 mph.

At least high temperatures on Wednesday will still reach the seasonable mid 60s.

Wednesday night, a cold front will sweep out all the "junk". Rain chances come to an end as skies clear. And temperatures will take another tumble, back to the cold side by Thursday.

Thursday

Thursday morning could bring another round of frosted or even freezing temperatures, away from the immediate coast.

Despite the return of abundant sunshine, hIgh temperatures on Thursday will also be stuck on the cool side, only reaching the upper 50s in the afternoon. Another day of below-normal temps.

Friday & Beyond

Friday follows this week's trend of generally gorgeous weather days, with sunshine, late-day clouds, dry weather, and highs in the lower 60s.

Next weekend is a bit of a coin flip at this time. Some models do show rain chances plugged in for both Saturday and Sunday. However, I do not think such wet weather is a slam dunk. Lots of spring activities and youth sports going on this time of year — stay tuned as that forecast become clearer later this week.

The more interesting thing to watch is whether warmer temperatures arrive next week. I could see a few days of 70s and even 80s, just in time to close out April.

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