Friday NJ weather: Frosty start, temporary warmup, then some rain
Welcome to the coldest morning of the season so far! Temperatures on this Friday morning are mostly in the 30s — for many, it's the first frost or even freeze since the spring. There are even some 20s sprinkled in across North Jersey. Bundle up!
We'll actually fare a bit better by Friday afternoon, with lighter winds and warming temperatures. We'll see highs in the upper 50s to lower 60s, which is just a few degrees below normal for mid-October.
While Friday will begin with frosty sunshine, clouds will start to increase during the afternoon hours.
Our next chance of rain — in fact, what could be our only chance of rain for the next week — will push through New Jersey Friday evening through Saturday morning. The rain looks mostly light and fairly scattered, and I do not anticipate any thunder/lightning, severe weather, or flooding issues.
By mid-morning Saturday, rain should largely exit the Garden State. (I can't completely rule out an isolated shower or sprinkle into Saturday afternoon.) Model guidance seems to agree on a few breaks of sunshine by the afternoon hours. That will help to warm us back to above-normal levels (temporarily). Forecast highs are in the mid 60s — a few models have popped out a 70 in South Jersey.
And that's it for the warmup! As a brisk northwesterly wind picks up Saturday night into Sunday morning, the bottom falls out and the bluster returns.
Sunday will be sunny, windy and cold. (The forecast reads very similarly to Thursday.) High temperatures will struggle to reach 50 degrees.
Our next widespread frost/freeze will be Monday morning, with that refreshed burst of cold air. Highs on Monday will reach the mid 50s, as skies transition from sun to clouds.
As I mentioned, there are no major storm systems or rain threats in the forecast. With high pressure in control of our weather next week, our weather will be bright and sunny for several days in a row (although generally cooler-than-normal).
Finally, I want to address the mounting rumors, hype, and hysteria regarding a massive storm system for next weekend. Have you ever seen a 8 to 10 day forecast that actually verified? No? OK then, carry on.