NJ rides a little temperature roller coaster this week with one rain chance

As high pressure builds toward New Jersey, we will enjoy a few days of quiet weather and warming temperatures. Having said that, while Tuesday will look like a beautiful weather day with plentiful sunshine, high temperatures will end up on the cool side of normal, stuck in the 40s in the afternoon. We will see 50s on Wednesday and then nice, warm 60s on Thursday. The one trouble spot and the one inclement weather day this week will be Friday, as a slow-moving cold front brings in a period of rain, breezy conditions, and causes temperatures to tumble from the 60s back down to the 40s heading into the final weekend of March.

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Tuesday NJ weather: Sunny but cool

Tuesday will be a nice turnaround from Monday's gloomy skies. However, the bottom line here: While Tuesday will look nice, it will feel cool. Jacket weather all day, as we crave temperatures that are 5 to 10 degrees warmer here in late March.

Expect 30s in the morning, only reaching highs around 45 to 50 degrees. Northern and coastal New Jersey will be especially chilly.

At least skies will be mostly sunny, winds will be light, and our weather will be completely dry. That is always good news in the springtime.

Tuesday night will be seasonably chilly once again, with passing clouds and lows in the lower-mid 30s.

Wednesday NJ weather: Clouds but seasonable

Wednesday will reach into the 50s, but with clouds mixed with sunshine. The daytime hours should stay dry, so I have no problem calling it a nice late March day.

Thursday NJ weather: Into the 60s, but only for a day

Early Thursday morning, a weak disturbance could drag some sprinkles and rain showers through New Jersey.

Otherwise, we will enjoy a warmer spring day, as temperatures soar well into the 60s. (I would not be surprised to see some 70s in inland areas Thursday afternoon.) Skies will be partly sunny and fair.

Friday NJ weather: Turning cloudy, rainy, breezy, and cooler

Friday will be the one bump in the road this week, as a slow-moving cold front puts an end to our warming trend and produces our next batch of inclement weather. Of course, keep in mind, wet weather is not a bad thing — we continue to claw out of a drought, so every drop matters throughout the spring.

Rainfall will end up between a spitting and a soaking — I think everyone in New Jersey will see a few hours of light to moderate rain, resulting in a quarter-inch to half-inch of total rainfall. Otherwise, it will be a cloudy and breezy day.

Temperatures will fall from the lower 60s in the early morning hours of Friday, into the mid 40s or so by late afternoon. Back to the cool side for sure.

And those cool temperatures will hang on through the final weekend of March. I suspect we will see highs in the 40s for both Saturday and Sunday, with the return of partly sunny skies and dry weather. Again, 50/50 news.

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