Thanksgiving week forecast for NJ: Mostly quiet, mostly cool
The Garden State is starting the abbreviated holiday workweek with a definite chill in the air.
If you're reading this, I assume you didn't get blown away by Sunday's fierce winds. Top gusts in the Garden State were 65 mph at High Point, and 52 mph at Atlantic City Marina and Fortescue, according to the NJ Weather Network.
Be aware, we had some flurries and sprinkles overnight, so roadway surfaces may be a bit slick for your morning commute. At best, they're wet. At worst, they're icy. Use special caution on elevated surfaces like bridges and overpasses — as cold air "wraps around" these roadways, they tend to freeze first.
Winds will be lighter for Monday, but it'll remain breezy with occasional gusts to 25 mph. Meanwhile, temperatures are now officially cold. 30s in the morning will only reach the mid to upper 40s by the afternoon. We'll enjoy plenty of sunshine and dry weather for the rest of the day.
The quiet conditions continues Monday night, with seasonably chilly low temperatures in the lower to mid 30s. The usual cold spots will likely experience a light freeze by Tuesday morning.
Tuesday looks pretty good. We'll start the day with chilly sunshine, with increasing clouds later on. The wind will shift to a south-southwestly direction — that's a warming wind! I expect high temperatures to reach the mid to upper 50s for most of the state. 60 degrees is a possibility in South Jersey. That's 5 to 10 degrees above normal for late November.
A storm system looks to deliver a dose of rain from late Tuesday night through early Wednesday morning. Best chance for rain will be right along the coast. The NAM model in particular puts some pretty solid rain over the south coast, in excess of a half-inch. That seems a bit bullish though — I wouldn't be surprised if northern and western New Jersey stay completely dry here.
While Wednesday morning will feature temperatures in the mid 50s, thermometers will begin to fall by the afternoon. No ferocious winds and skies will clear to abundant sunshine, so it will be a slow and subtle decline. We'll probably end up in the upper 40s by sunset. Despite the cooldown, it will be tranquil weather for one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Thanksgiving Thursday also looks quiet, albeit pretty cold. Temperatures in the morning will probably be in the 20s, only warming to the mid 40s by the afternoon hours. Skies will be partly sunny and our forecast is dry.
I don't anticipate any big surprises through the rest of the holiday weekend. Skies will generally remain mostly to partly sunny. Friday will top out close to 50 degrees, with milder 50s on Saturday followed by cooler 40s on Sunday. I see one chance of showers cropping up in the afternoon or evening hours of Saturday. No big storm systems, no big temperature swings, no big problems for travel on either side of the holiday. Just the way I like it!