Monday morning's rain and snow will end, but another storm system will move in Tuesday as arctic air looms closer to the Garden State.

Here are your weather headlines for Monday, December 5, 2016...

Rain/Snow to Start the Week

A snowy start to the week along Powdermill Rd. in Parsippany. (NJDOT / 511nj.org)
A snowy start to the week along Powdermill Rd. in Parsippany. (NJDOT / 511nj.org)
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Welcome to Monday! The northern third of New Jersey - above Interstate 78 - woke up to some snow this morning. Light accumulations appear to have been limited to mostly grassy surfaces, although I've seen reports of slush and ice on some roadway surfaces too. If your travels take you along or north of I-78, please use extra caution this morning.

Meanwhile, south of I-78, it's been a wet morning so far, with up to a quarter-inch of liquid in the rain gauge. Roadway surfaces may be a bit slippery.

The precipitation has already started to taper. Any residual rain and snow showers will end from west to east by mid-morning. Clouds will thin through Monday afternoon, with breaks of sunshine probable. High temperatures will reach the upper 40s to around 50 degrees - similar to Sunday, and close to normal for early December.

Monday night will be quiet but chilly, with low temperatures ranging from 28 in the north to about 38 in the south.

Rain Round Two

Another storm system will near New Jersey by late morning on Tuesday, spreading rain across the state by the afternoon hours. Just rain, with highs in the mid 40s. But that rain could be steady or heavy for a time, potentially affecting the Tuesday evening commute.

Furthermore, in the higher elevations around Sussex and Warren counties, as temperatures drop Tuesday evening, rain may change to snow. While the transition will be brief (before the storm system depart), an inch or two of snow accumulation will be possible. Timing for the wintry weather would be between about 7 p.m. Tuesday and 1 a.m. Wednesday. Again, I believe the threat for wintry impacts will be geographically limited to NW NJ from this system. And even then, it's only an inch or two.

Big Chill

By Wednesday, we'll dry out and catch our collective breath for a moment, as we enjoy a daylong pause in the active weather. Skies will lean toward the cloudy side, with high temperatures recovering to around 50 degrees.

Wednesday night into Thursday morning, a strong cold front is expected to cross the Northeast U.S. Models suggest a dry frontal passage - while there could be a few showers around, I am also going to keep our forecast dry for now. The big impact will be a sharp increase in wind speed and the beginning of a sharp decline in temperatures.

So Thursday will become blustery, with highs limited to 39 to 45 degrees. That's already 5+ degrees below normal, and there's more cold to come.

Friday's highs will range from 38 to 42, with potential wind gusts to 40 mph.

Saturday's forecast calls for high temperatures between 36 and 40. That's it.

Sunday shows some recovery, with highs back in the 40s. We may close out the weekend with another round of rain/snow showers.

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

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