The Garden State's warming trend will continue through Thursday, before some rain and cooler temperatures approach the state by the Easter Weekend.

We have more nice, quiet, above-normal weather in the forecast for New Jersey... Certainly no complaints here!

Tuesday is starting out chilly across the Garden State. With temperatures in the 20s and 30s, you'll likely want to grab a jacket to start the day. Later on, things warm up nicely with near-normal high temperatures in the lower to mid 50s. Sunshine will hopefully dominate the sky once again, with occasional clouds through the middle of the day. It will be breezy, but winds won't be as gusty as Monday, generally limited to 10 to 20 mph.

Tuesday night looks quiet for most of the state. However, North Jersey could get clipped by a weak storm system, pushing through some light rain showers and/or sprinkles through early Wednesday morning. The GFS model stays dry, while the NAM and Euro models show scattered raindrops. So it's not a sure bet, and not a big deal in any case.

Wednesday will continue our nice warming trend, as high temperatures climb to the mid 60s for most of the state. There could even be few scattered 70-degree readings in South Jersey - nice! Skies will range from mostly to partly cloudy, with that persistent southwesterly breeze back for another day.

Thursday looks very warm as well. Winds will be a bit more fierce and a bit more southerly. That will keep the Jersey Shore somewhat cooler, but still in the 60s I think. Inland high temperatures will approach 70 degrees across most of the state - very nice!

By Thursday night into Friday morning, an approaching cold front will end this warm streak, and add a chance for rain to our forecast. There are some subtle timing differences among the various forecast models. But the consensus puts the frontal passage and the bulk of the rain between sunset Thursday and sunrise Friday.

Behind the front will come a brisk wind and falling temperatures for Good Friday. The daily high temperature, around 60 degrees, will likely happen in the morning. By the afternoon, widespread 50s are expected. Overall, that's not *too* chilly. But with the gusty wind, it could feel a bit blustery.

While the weekend will be cooler, I think high temperatures will still reach normal levels (or better) for both days. Saturday looks very sunny, with a light breeze and seasonable high temperatures in the lower to mid 50s. On Easter Sunday, clouds will increase, but so will temperatures. Highs should be in the upper 50s to lower 60s.

Around Monday, we'll be tracking another storm system tracking up the Atlantic seaboard. Timing and overall intensity are very much up in the air now, as models show this rain could affect New Jersey anytime between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon. One thing that looks certain - temperatures will remain warm enough for this storm to produce only rain.

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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