The Bottom Line

Happy Monday, New Jersey! This is one of the Monday-est Mondays of the entire year, coming back to work and school after the Thanksgiving weekend. I hope your holiday was wonderful.

Now we look ahead to the final days of November, and the start of December coming up later this week. Temperatures are going to ride a roller coaster this week. Some days will reach the above-normal 50s, while the next dips into the below-normal 40s. A pretty typical pattern for late fall.

One important item to watch is our next storm system, arriving on Wednesday. It will produce a few hours of wet (not wintry) weather across New Jersey. And I am concerned about a period of strong wind gusts, potentially roaring past 40 mph.

No significant snow signal in the forecast at all. But the season is young.

Monday

It's a cold front day. A weak front, so the temperature effects will be gentle. But the wind will definitely be noticeable.

We are starting the day with temperatures mainly in the 50s across the Garden State. It's really not that cold, although it feels "raw" outside due to dampness in the air.

A line of light rain all but fizzled as it pushed across Pennsylvania. A few sprinkles may dampen the ground in North Jersey early Monday morning, but those raindrops will be very limited and very light. And the rest of the day will be completely dry.

Look for periods of sun and clouds across the day Monday. A northwest breeze will kick up shortly after sunrise, potentially gusting between 20 and 30 mph.

Technically, we have probably hit our "high" temperature for the day, in the early morning hours. Thermometers should settle in the lower 50s in the afternoon. Not bad, aside from the wind.

We haven't seen a widespread freeze since Thanksgiving morning. But that trend ends Monday night, as inland low temperatures dip into the lower 30s. Skies should become mainly clear overnight.

Tuesday

A cooler day, with temperatures about 5 degrees below seasonal normals.

Highs will be limited to about 45 to 50 degrees Tuesday afternoon. I'll call skies partly sunny, leaning toward the brighter side. We'll stay dry, and winds will stay light.

Wednesday

Not a very nice day, as our next storm system arrives.

Wednesday will turn cloudy, rainy, and windy. For at least a few hours. It will be mild though, as NJ's southern coast approaches 60 degrees again.

By the numbers, we'll probably average a half-inch of rain across the state on Wednesday. That's healthy, but not heavy.

Wind gusts may top 40 mph, especially along the coast. That is strong enough to ring some alarm bells. (And that's why I've decided to put a "yellow alert" icon on the 5 Day Forecast.)

Wednesday's nastiest weather looks to be from the afternoon through early evening hours.

Skies should clear quickly Wednesday evening, as another colder, drier air mass builds in. The wind will die down a little, but not completely.

Thursday

Back to the chilly side. In fact, Thursday will probably be our coldest day of the week.

It will be sunny, breezy, and dry. High temperatures will only reach the mid 40s, at best. Feeling like December for the first day of the new month. How appropriate.

The Extended Forecast

The sunny, dry, chilly weather will continue into Friday. Our next burst of relatively warm air and rain is scheduled for part of Saturday. Drier weather should resume on Sunday.

If you're looking for the return of a true winter chill and the potential for snow, I'm still thinking you'll like the middle of December. Cold air should increasingly win out after about the 10th — and, of course, that is the first important ingredient for wintry weather. Nothing significant on the radar just yet, but we are always watching.

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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