One more wet and wintry day for NJ, bright but blustery weekend

The Bottom Line

Almost 36 hours later, and it is still raining in New Jersey. And snowing too. This storm system — a stagnant area of low pressure — is currently centered just northeast of New Jersey. And as it continues to spin there, it will rotate one more push of moisture through the Garden State. The end result: One more soggy, sloppy, somewhat snowy day.

By the numbers, it is reasonable to expect another half-inch of precipitation on Friday. A little less in South Jersey, a little more in North Jersey. And some of that may fall as wintry mix or straight snow — in fact, parts of NW NJ picked up a few slushy inches of snow accumulation on the ground. The first of the season!

New Jersey's weather dries out and brightens up just in time for the weekend. This is, of course, a very busy pre-Thanksgiving travel weekend.

There are a couple of storm systems on the horizon for next week. But nothing major. And nothing overly wintry either.

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Friday

Gotta love the relief from the drought and constant wildfires. But it is awfully disgusting out there.

These cold, damp conditions are ideal for hypothermia. So make sure you bundle up, no matter what is falling from the sky. Temperatures will hover in the upper 30s to lower 40s all day.

For Friday morning, light precipitation will continue across the northern half of the state. As of this writing (7 a.m.), that is from Mercer-Middlesex-Monmouth counties north. Mainly light stuff. And mainly rain. Although wintry mix and snow could make things slippery along the Interstate 80 corridor.

Friday afternoon, a final round of rain and snow will surge from west to east across the entire state. Yes, I said snow — I think it's possible that anywhere away from the coast in NJ could see some flakes flying around later on. Including the I-295 corridor. (Remember, the surface temperature does not have to drop below freezing for snowflakes to form a mile over our heads.)

The evening commute could be a little slick due to wet roads.

Showers will taper off Friday evening, with final raindrops and snowflakes wrapping up by daybreak Saturday. Overnight low temperatures are forecast to dip into the mid 30s — so most of the state will stay above the freezing mark.

Saturday

Definitely a brighter, drier forecast for the weekend. Although Saturday will stay pretty windy and blustery, with wind gusts potentially hitting 30 mph.

Under partly to mostly sunny skies, high temperatures will only reach about 45 to 50 degrees. Below normal for late November. Those limited areas in North Jersey with snow on the ground should experience lots of melt.

Sunday

More improvements. Partly sunny, breezy, and lower 50s.

Monday

Monday might be the nicest day of the week. Skies will progress from sun to clouds, with a light westerly breeze. High temperatures will reach the seasonable mid 50s.

The Extended Forecast

There are two storm systems on the horizon that could have an impact on Thanksgiving travel.

Number one is a cold front, set to slide through New Jersey Tuesday morning. That will produce a quick round of scattered showers — just plain rain — followed by a breezy cooldown.

Number two might be more impactful, especially since it is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. A band of rain looks likely for most of the day. No heavy or severe stuff, just wet.

If temperatures trend colder — especially if the timing of that precipitation slides much earlier or later, into an overnight — there is an opportunity for some wintry weather. I do not want to harp on this potential just yet. It's something we will have to watch.

Also, keep in mind, this broad storm system will affect much of the continental United States through the middle to late part of next week. So if you have long-distance travel plans for the holiday, you will want to keep a close eye on the forecast.

Hopefully the storm system train will keep on chugging into the first week of December, since we still need a lot more rain to close our rainfall deficit. Temperatures are trending colder-than-normal in the long-range forecast. Perfect to get us all in the holiday spirit.

Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. Follow him on Facebook for the latest forecast and realtime weather updates.