From 70s to 40s: Big changes for NJ as cold front drives rain and cooldown

Thursday will be a splendid spring day, warm with a substantial break of midday sun. It will be a little taste of early May weather, as highs reach for 70 across inland New Jersey — that is about 15 degrees above normal for late March. The daytime hours will be dry and breezy. Then widespread scattered rain pushes in Thursday night. There are no big alarm bells to ring regarding this storm system, although it will be wet and breezy for a time, with rumbles of thunder possible. Friday morning stays wet, and then lingering showers continue for South Jersey into the afternoon. Temperatures will fall into the 40s as the day goes on. Saturday will be sunny but cool and blustery. Sunday looks like the far better day of the upcoming weekend.

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Thursday NJ weather: Nice and warm

Thursday will easily be the warmest day of the week, feeling more like a typical early May day than a late March one.

Thursday morning is starting in the 40s for most of the state, with some 50s in some southern and coastal NJ towns. It is cool, but not cold — comfortable, but probably still jacket weather.

Highs Thursday afternoon will reach about 70 degrees. That is around 15 degrees above normal for this time of year. The day will be bookended by clouds, with solid breaks of sunshine expected around midday. It will be breezy, with fresh gusts over 20 mph likely.

The daytime hours will stay dry and pleasant. Rain chances will increase Thursday evening, as a frontal boundary approaches. The "main event" wave of steady rain will likely come into play around Midnight, sweeping from northwest to southeast across the state. Everyone will likely get wet through Friday morning, with around a half-inch of total rainfall (give or take).

There could be some rumbles of thunder overnight and some wind gusts to 30 mph, but there are no alarm bells to ring for "dangerous" weather. Just wet and inclement.

Friday NJ weather: Rainy and cooler

Friday will not be a nice day, as we see significant changes and a big transition to much cooler weather.

Friday morning will be the wettest part of the day, as rain continues from overnight. Things will trend drier by the afternoon for most of the state, although showers will linger longer in southern New Jersey.

Regardless of raindrops, it will remain cloudy and breezy. And temperatures will continuously drop, from around 60 just after Midnight, to around 50 by daybreak, to the mid 40s or so by late afternoon. A far cry from those 70s just a day before!

Friday night, as colder air really takes hold of the Garden State, and as skies clear and the wind calms down, temperatures will likely dip into the 20s across most of New Jersey. Cold and frosty.

Saturday NJ weather: Sunny but blustery

Saturday will bring the return of bright sunshine and dry weather to New Jersey. But it is going to be unseasonably cold, as high temperatures only reach around 40 to 45 degrees.

Furthermore, a strong breeze will blow once again, above 20 mph at times, keeping that cold air moving around.

Looks nice, feels wintry.

Sunday NJ weather: Sunny and seasonably

Sunday will be the more pleasant day of the weekend, by far. Skies will be mostly sunny, winds will be lighter, and temperatures will end up 10+ degrees warmer in the 50s.

That warming trend will carry into next week too, as highs return to the above-normal 60s and 70s. That warmth will likely come with some unsettled weather, in the form of occasional showers and thunderstorms. We will nail down the timing and impacts of those potential raindrops as it gets a little closer — that will determine whether March goes out like a lamb ... or not.

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