This cold air is not permanent: 50s Wednesday, 70s soon for NJ

The Bottom Line

Cold air is now enveloping most of the continental United States, and New Jersey is one of many places feeling an autumnal chill in the air.

Things to know about Wednesday's cool temperatures, which will only reach the mid-upper 50s:
—It will likely be the coolest day of the week.
—I expect it to be New Jersey's coldest day since Mother's Day, May 12th.
—This is about 10 degrees below normal for mid-October.
—This degree of chill would be typical in mid-November.

But the cold air is not a "permanent" thing — meaning this is not the big, inescapable cooldown into winter. Warmer temperatures are just around the corner, with 70s back in the forecast by this weekend.

As for rain? There's still not much to talk about over the next ten days. Except for drought and fire danger concerns, that is.

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Wednesday

It is another chilly, frosty start to another cool, breezy day.

For all intents and purposes, Wednesday's weather will be very similar to Tuesday's. 30s and 40s in the morning. A few degrees cooler in the afternoon, with highs limited to the mid to upper 50s.

It will be breezy, with gusts up to 20 mph. I'll call the sky mostly sunny — the morning looks bright and blue and the afternoon turns a bit cloudier.

Overall, no big weather problems here. Wear a jacket, and you'll weather the weather just fine.

Once the sun sets Wednesday evening, temperatures will drop rapidly. Forecast low temperatures average upper 30s by Thursday morning. The northwestern corner of the state has a Freeze Warning posted for 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. Thursday.

Thursday

A couple subtle changes, as we look ahead to digging out of this unseasonable chill.

A coastal storm system will be passing just off-shore on Thursday. Even with high pressure and dry air in control of New Jersey's atmosphere, I have to admit the possibility of some clouds and maybe a quick shower along the Jersey . We're talking about the immediate coast here, east of the Garden State Parkway. And just a few raindrops — best chance would be in the morning.

For the rest of the state, Thursday should once again feature lots of sunshine. HIgh temperatures will make it to around 60 degrees. Still below seasonal norms, but at least the chilly breeze will be lighter.

Friday

Let the warmup begin!

Even Friday morning will not be as cold and frosty as the rest of the week, as most of the state starts in the 40s.

High temperatures Friday afternoon will reach the mid 60s. Maybe some upper 60s in South Jersey. Not too shabby, especially with light winds and abundant sunshine.

The Weekend & Beyond

As long as you ignore the drought, fire danger, and allergy concerns ... New Jersey's weather does not get much better than this.

The weekend will be sunny, dry, and mild. High temps on Saturday will reach about 70 degrees. Sunday pushes into the lower 70s.

And the good times will keep rolling next week, with more 70s on the way. A good opportunity to open up the windows, enjoy jacket-free afternoons, and bask in spectacular sunshine.

It might get a little too warm by midweek, possibly flirting with 80 degrees.

Eventually the arrival of a cold front will spark a cooldown to more typical late October weather. Probably around Thursday or Friday. I do not expect much (if any) rain from that storm system.

So when is our next opportunity for some wet weather? Not until the closing days of October. (And even that is long-range, so a very low confidence outlook.)

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