Thursday NJ weather: Slippery spots early, sunny and breezy later
As you head out on your Thursday morning commute, watch your step! We do have some light icing out there — not a sheet of ice, just some slippery spots. You can thank Wednesday evening's rain showers, which moistened the ground. And even though temperatures are generally above freezing, cold air pools at the surface. So especially on colder surfaces — like your vehicle — ice can form. (I had some frost on my windshield, and there have been a few accidents reported due to slick conditions.)
In addition, radar is still showing some flurries and sprinkles flying around, which will probably continue through about 10 a.m. Skies will then become mostly sunny, with a stunning breeze (out of the west, gusting over 20 mph). High temperatures will reach the lower to mid 40s Thursday afternoon — a few degrees warmer than Wednesday, but still a few degrees below-normal for early December.
It looks like a little breeze will stay with us through Thursday night. So as low temperatures fall to around 30 degrees, the wind chill (or "feels like" or "apparent" temperature) could briefly dip into the teens overnight. Skies will be mostly cloudy, and weather will be dry.
Clouds are set to return early Friday as a cold front approaches New Jersey. That front will also spark a round of showers. With high temperatures in the 40s, we're talking about mainly rain. (There could some snowflakes around NW NJ.)
The timing of Friday's showers is somewhat questionable — the NAM and the going forecast put raindrops over New Jersey from midday through the afternoon, while the latest GFS and Euro paint some wet weather for late afternoon through the evening. In any case, I don't see anything too heavy or impactful here.
Following the rain, a brief period of windiness will usher in colder air once again.
So we are bundling up for the start of the weekend. Saturday morning's lows will dip to around 30 degrees. And Saturday afternoon's high temperatures will be stuck in the mid to upper 30s for most of New Jersey. At least it will be a sunny, calm, and dry day.
Sunday will feature increasing clouds and increasing temperatures, with highs bouncing back into the mid to upper 40s.
And Monday will get even warmer, as thermometers pop into the 50s. Heck, early Tuesday may even bring some 60s to the Garden State!
However, that warmup will come with a series of storm systems providing periods of rain for early next week. Rain may be steady to heavy at times for both Monday and Tuesday.
Following those two soggy days, we'll dry out and chilly out again around Wednesday., as highs potentially return to the wintry 30s.