The latest forecast for the Garden State includes periods of rain from Wednesday afternoon through Saturday.

Compared to previous forecasts (Monday, Tuesday), the impending rain outlook looks lighter, but more prolonged.

Wednesday morning is starting off quiet, with patchy fog reducing visibility to about a quarter-mile in a few spots. Morning temperatures are mostly in the 50s, under partly cloudy skies.

As a storm system settles and stalls over Ohio/Kentucky, clouds, winds, and rain chances will all increase across New Jersey by Wednesday afternoon. Rain during the daytime hours will be light, limited to widely scattered showers.

Additional scattered showers are expected for Wednesday night. We might see a band of steadier rain push toward the Garden State after 7 p.m. Wednesday, but the timing of any solid rain is a bit uncertain.

NAM model precipitation forecast as of 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday 9/29. (College of DuPage Meteorology)
NAM model precipitation forecast as of 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday 9/29. (College of DuPage Meteorology)
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Thursday looks both wet and windy, as thick clouds overtake the skies of New Jersey. While I had previously suggested the day would be a potential washout, we've backed off the forecast to "periods of rain" - that means there will probably be breaks in the rainfall action. The wind may gust as high as 40 mph. High temperatures will be limited to the upper 60s at best.

Periodic rain looks to continue for Friday. And Saturday too, before skies clear and temperatures begin to warm by late Sunday morning.

The overall heaviest, steadiest rain is expected across the southern and western edges of New Jersey. Frankly, I think we're going to miss the biggest rainfall totals. But still, a widespread inch or two would be very welcome.

Satellite image of the tropical wave known as "Invest 97L". (National Hurricane Center)
Satellite image of the tropical wave known as "Invest 97L". (National Hurricane Center)
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In the tropics, a tropical wave in Atlantic (Invest 97L) continues to capture our attention, but it's still a "watch and wait" game. This storm will likely become a tropical depression or tropical storm later Wednesday. Matthew is the next name on the list.

Several models - most notably the GFS - continue to paint a scary picture for New Jersey late next week (Thursday-Friday). But it's still way too early to speculate on potential impacts; landfall could still literally happen anywhere from Central America to New England. We will not have additional detail on this forecast until Sunday at the earliest.

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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