The Bottom Line

You know it's going to be a quiet week of weather when my hardest forecast question is whether to call each day mostly sunny or only partly sunny.

This weekend's storm system dragged in a cold, dry air mass, leading to below-normal temperatures for the next 3 days. We'll get a little warmup starting around midweek. Our next storm system doesn't come into view until next weekend.

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The NAM model forecast shows New Jersey firmly entrenched in a cold, dry air mass. (College of DuPage Meteorology)
The NAM model forecast shows New Jersey firmly entrenched in a cold, dry air mass. (College of DuPage Meteorology)
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Monday

There are two big drivers in Monday's forecast: 1.) A cold, dry air mass. 2.) A storm system passing just south of New Jersey.

We're frozen Monday morning, with temperatures mainly in the 20s across the state. It is a few degrees warmer along the immediate coast, but only a few. High temps will struggle to pass 40 today — about 5 degrees below normal for the 7th of December.

Overhead, expect sunshine with some passing clouds. Extra cloud cover is expected across the southern half of the state, thanks to a storm system just to our south bringing showers to parts of Delaware and Maryland. I will include a slight chance of a shower (rain or snow) in far southern New Jersey, just in case something swings our way.

Monday night will be mainly clear and freezing cold once again, as low temperatures bottom out in the mid to upper 20s.

Tuesday

Aside from a slight chance of a snow shower clipping NW NJ, it will be another quiet and chilly day. Under partly sunny skies, high temperatures will once again end up near 40 degrees.

Wedndesday

A little warmer, so a little better. As a westerly breeze kicks in, high temperatures should push into the mid 40s. I've opted for a "partly sunny" forecast descriptor for the third day in a row too.

Thursday

The little warmup continues, with highs pushing into the upper 40s to around 50 degrees. That's more typical of early-mid December. We should see lots of sunshine, making it a reasonably, seasonably pleasant day.

The Extended Forecast

Friday also looks quiet, and almost a copy of Thursday. Partly sunny and near 50.

Our next storm system is forecast to arrive next weekend. A warm front lifting through the Garden State on Saturday will help temperatures into the mid 50s, but also drive in scattered rain showers. A cold front on Sunday will bring a period of steadier rain, followed by another cooldown into early next week.

That's all, folks! Bundle up, warm up your car for a minute, grab the extra blanket, and have a great week!

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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