1 week Ago By Dan Zarrow
The Bottom Line Damp. Dreary. Gloomy.
Raw. Clammy. Yucky.
Blah. There are many adjectives we can use to describe the weather for Friday, Friday night, and Saturday. And none of them invoke a very pleasant picture.
We have seen some solid drought relief lately though. And that continues, with about an inch falling in New Jersey over the next 36 hours. The steadiest, heaviest rainfall is expected Friday night into Saturday morning.
In addition to raindrops, there are some additional wrinkles in the forecast here. Like wind, potentially gusting over 30 mph at times. And miserably cool temperatures, stuck in the 30s and 40s.
Light snow and ice are possible in North Jersey, and could even accumulate a little bit. Grab the umbrella and a good jacket — let's talk about the timing details for our impending rain, and when we can look forward to some brighter, warmer weather. Friday Already Friday morning, we are seeing spotty showers and drizzle around New Jersey.
It is on-and-off, hit-or-miss stuff for now, leading to a damp start to Friday. From Friday midday through the afternoon, steadier rain will come into play, generally progressing from southern into central New Jersey. No matter where in the state you are, Friday will be cloudy and cool, with temperatures only rising from 40 in the morning to the mid 40s in the afternoon.
The brunt of this storm system — the period of steadiest, heaviest, most widespread rain — will play out Friday evening through early Saturday morning. It is going to be a wet and windy night. And in North Jersey, it might get a bit wintry too.
Yes, temperatures may chill out enough for raindrops to mix with or changeover to snow. (In fact, every major forecast model now shows a wintry component to this system.) Timing of potential flakes is between about 2 a.
m. and 8 a.m.
Saturday morning. The snow chance is mainly among the hilltops along and north of Interstate 80, where light accumulations are possible. I could see a snowy, icy mix as far south as Interstate 78.
South of that, it will be just a cold, clammy, driving rain overnight. Most low temperatures will dip to around 40 degrees. Saturday Another soggy, overcast day.
Showers are now forecast to linger all day. While steady rain (and snow) will be limited to Saturday morning, I do not see a substantial drying trend arriving until late afternoon or early evening. Saturday will be cloudy and miserably cool.
Do not expect high temperatures to pass 45 degrees — at least 15 below normal for this time of year. Sunday By far, Sunday will be the brighter and better weather day of the weekend. There may still be a spot of drizzle early on.
But then, skies will brighten — likely progressing from overcast early on to partly sunny by late afternoon. High temperatures will respond nicely to the peeks of sunshine. We should reach the mid 50s — the closest we have been to seasonable temperatures all week.
Monday Monday looks mostly good, although not perfect. An isolated shower is possible in the early morning hours. And then a few showers and thunderstorms may come into play Monday evening, as a cold front slides in.
In the middle, you will find a mix of clouds and sun throughout Monday. And mild high temperatures reaching the lower 60s. That is going to feel good, after a long stretch of below-normal temperatures.
The Extended Forecast There is another cooldown coming, but Tuesday should stay on the mild side. I had been holding out hopes for some warm 70s around, but recent model runs keep us in the 60s. Unfortunately, a brisk wind will make it difficult to enjoy the warmth.
I am keeping Tuesday's forecast partly sunny and dry for now. Our next burst of cool air arrives next Wednesday. With a stiff northwesterly breeze, highs will only reach the lower-mid 50s.
And we'll see 50s on Thursday too. Next chance of widespread rain looks to be next Friday, leading into the big Easter weekend. Final flakes: When does snow season end in NJ? Gallery Credit: Dan Zarrow Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey.
Follow him on Facebook for the latest forecast and realtime weather updates. KEEP READING: Get answers to 51 of the most frequently asked weather questions..
..
