Spotty rain Thursday, then NJ rides a temperature roller coaster

The Bottom Line

And so it ends. The finale of New Jersey's spectacular streak of springlike warmth is Thursday, as a cold front approaches. We will see inclement, occasionally wet weather around the Garden State on Thursday too.

Of course, the impending cooldown will not be of the "arctic blast" variety. And the refreshed February chill will only last a single day, before a one-day warmup this weekend.

As we have discussed, this is a very "wavy" forecast, with wide temperature swings practically daily through next week. There will be some gusty winds along the way too — ushering in the month of March in quite the lion-ish fashion.

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Thursday

Still mild. But wet.

Pockets of rain will push through New Jersey both Thursday morning and afternoon. Mostly spotty light stuff — it is not going to rain all day. It is a good "carry an umbrella" day, as you may need it at times.

I would not be surprised to hear a rumble of thunder later on. Final raindrops should exit the state around dinnertime.

Otherwise, it will be mostly cloudy and mild. Morning temperatures in the 40s. Afternoon highs around 55 to 60 degrees. A stiff breeze will kick up later on too.

As we dry out and skies clear out Thursday evening, it will get chilly. Low temperatures should dip to the mid 30s — most of the state will not freeze overnight, so there is minimal risk of icing.

Friday

Cooler. But not quite cold.

Yes, February ends with more typical February-ish weather. Highs on Friday will be limited to the mid 40s. With a brisk breeze, keeping the refreshed cool air moving around.

At least it will be sunny and dry. And again, those temperatures are seasonable. Near-normal. You really can't complain too much about that, even after such a mild week.

Saturday

Warming up again. But only temporarily.

Saturday will bring a windy start to March, with potential wind gusts to 40 mph both ahead of and behind a cold front.

That frontal boundary may spark an isolated shower. But the chance for widespread raindrops is low.

Under mixed clouds and sun, high temperatures on Saturday will once again soar to around 55 to 60 degrees. So if you don't mind the wind and can dodge the raindrops, you will enjoy a brief return of springlike warmth.

Sunday

Very cold. Back to bundling up.

Arctic air returns to the Garden State as of Sunday morning, as low temperatures dip to around 20 degrees. And afternoon highs will go no farther than the mid 30s. Plus, with a biting wind chill, it is going to be an uncomfortably blustery end to the weekend.

The Extended Forecast

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The flip-flopping weather continues next week — again, typical of later winter and early spring in New Jersey.

Monday stays sunny and cold, with highs again in the 30s.

We should moderate to the seasonable 40s on Tuesday. With mostly sunny conditions, Tuesday should be a reasonably pleasant weather day.

Forecast models have persistently put a storm system over New Jersey in the Wednesday-Thursday time frame. The resounding consensus shows a period of solid rain there — possibly totalling an inch or two. Nothing wintry.

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