Two chilly days in the 30s, then finally some nice February weather for NJ

Temperatures take a step backward Thursday, as a cooler air mass comes into play. After lovely 40s on Wednesday, highs will only reach about 30 to 35 degrees Thursday afternoon. It is not a full-on "arctic blast," but a chilly breeze will further punctuate the cooldown. Other than a few flurries our weather stays dry. Friday will be calm and cool, again in the 30s. And then 40s return for the Valentines Day / President's Day Weekend. The only snag there is a storm system that will slide to our south late Sunday into Monday. I think it's safe to take "big impacts" off the table from this one. However, some rain and snow showers are still possible starting late Sunday afternoon, especially for the southern half of New Jersey. I expect overall impacts to be minor, and a complete miss is still a possibility.

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Thursday NJ weather: Cool and breezy

Thursday is starting off with temperatures that I would call "seasonably chilly," around 30 degrees. The problem is thermometers will not budge much as the day goes on, as this new cooler air mass takes hold of New Jersey.

Look for high temperatures only around 30 to 35 degrees Thursday afternoon. That is it — noticeably cooler than Wednesday, and noticeably below normal for this time of year. It will be breezy, if not windy, throughout the day with regular gusts above 20 mph. There will be peeks of sun, especially through the morning. Clouds will take over at times, especially through the afternoon.

I am trying hard not to talk about the "wind chill" too much on the radio, since we're all a little tired of that phrase after the last month of bitter, biting, dangerous cold. But yes, the combination of chilly temperatures and a prominent wind will make it "feel like" the 20s throughout the day. Back to bundling up, folks.

I think Thursday stays dry for most of New Jersey. Flurries are possible, especially around North Jersey.

Thursday night looks quite cold, as low temperatures bottom out around 20 degrees. That means there will be lots of teens on the temperature map Friday morning.

Friday NJ weather: Calmer and sunnier

Friday will stay on the cool side, with highs in the mid 30s.

But there will be improvements compared to Thursday. Winds will be calmer — that alone will make a big difference in how it feels. And skies will be sunnier — that will contribute to more snow melt.

Saturday NJ weather: Finally a nice February day

Finally, at long last, I can call a day pleasant. And I love the fact that description just happens to coincide with Valentine's Day!

There is a chance a weak disturbance sliding by could throw a few snowflakes toward North Jersey early Saturday morning. I doubt we're looking at any accumulations or travel impacts. But I can not call it a totally "dry" day because of this — it is the only potentially hiccup in the forecast here.

The rest of Saturday will be mostly sunny and seasonable, with high temperatures firmly in the 40s across New Jersey. Winds stay light and weather stays dry. Enjoy!

Sunday NJ weather: Storm system slides south

Sunday will start off OK, with mostly cloudy skies. That will keep temperatures a little lower, with highs closer to the 40 degrees mark.

We have been watching a storm system for a few days now, and model guidance is now converging on a pretty solid consensus. I think we can safely take "big impacts" off the table here, as the bulk of this system passes safely south of New Jersey. However, some light rain and snow may still clip the Garden State late Sunday into early Monday, especially the southern half of the state.

So there could be some minor travel impacts Sunday night. But I want to stress that a complete miss is also still very much in play here too.

While I am thankful for no alarm bells to ring and no severe/winter weather triggers to pull, I was really hoping for a good soaking of rain to help with snow melt and our excessively dry conditions. We might still see some wet weather early next week, and again late next week. Slowly but steadily making a dent in the 10 inches of snow still on the ground in parts of New Jersey.

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