Not the greatest weekend weather for NJ: Cloudy, cool, showery

The Bottom Line

Only 72 hours to go until the persistently unsettled weather breaks. This weekend's forecast is not great, with clouds and mainly miserably cool temperatures. But there will be more dry hours than wet.

And remember, all the recent rainy weather has improved our drought status. About a quarter of NJ has fallen out of drought — although still in the "abnormally dry" category. And a sliver of South Jersey is still in the very serious "extreme drought" classification. So we want to continue seeing occasional bursts of rain this spring.

Drier weather is on the way next week. But it's going to be unseasonably cool too — do not expect any real warmth until the midpoint of the month.

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Friday

It is a stormy, wet, inclement start to your Friday morning. Showers and thunderstorms are sliding through central and southern New Jersey. There have been some pockets of heavy rain and wind, in addition to some really loud booms of thunder. There were some power outages and severe weather reports around the state too.

Expect a few more waves of showers and thunderstorms through Friday morning, with the heaviest stuff moving through the southern third to half of New Jersey.

By lunchtime, we should dry out. And this afternoon features drier weather and drier air. We might even see a glimmer of sunshine later — leading to a few hours of pleasant weather.

Temperatures are tricky, as we are in the sticky 60s and even 70s Friday morning. Thermometers should settle in the lower to mid 60s through Friday afternoon. Fairly mild.

Friday night will be cloudy and cool, with spotty showers possible into early Saturday morning. Low temperatures will dip to the upper 40s.

Saturday

Saturday is going to be gray. Mainly dry. But blah. And with temperatures more typical of early March than early April.

Highs will only reach about 50 degrees. Northern and coastal NJ may be stuck in the 40s. I could see slightly warmer temperatures to the southwest. But everyone will end up well below normal for this time of year.

Along with the overcast skies will come a stiff easterly breeze. And an isolated shower or pocket of drizzle will be possible at any time.

Sunday

Sunday's weather will be highly variable, from start to finish and top to bottom across the state. But it will be the beginning of our transition to more stable weather.

I think Sunday morning will be dry, before showers return around midday through the afternoon and evening hours. Nothing crazy here — just scattered rain. And again, the later in the day it is, the higher the chance for rain.

Skies will stay cloudy throughout Sunday. And temperatures will range from the 50s in North Jersey, to the 60s for most of the state, to the 70s in SW NJ.

Monday

Showers may linger into Monday morning, but then we will begin a pronounced drying trend.

I don't think the cloud cover will clear much Monday, if at all.

And temperatures will be going down. Just like Saturday, highs will only make it to around 50 degrees, give or take.

Tuesday & Beyond

While I can not rule out a rain or snow shower early Tuesday morning, the middle of next week trends dry. And chilly.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday morning could bring a widespread freeze to New Jersey. (Heads up to farmers and early season gardeners across the Garden State!) High temperatures will only reach about 50 degrees both days.

Tuesday looks particularly blustery and cold. But at least the sun will finally come out.

Our next rain chance will be a soaker around late next week. Exact timing details are still very much up in the air at this time.

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