No surprises in this forecast — it's cold out there! I guess we should be thankful this is only our fourth real cold snap of the 2018-19 winter season. Wednesday promises to be the coldest day of the week, with a slow warmup through the upcoming weekend.

As of this writing Wednesday morning, temperatures are mostly in the teens across New Jersey. (There are some single digits to the north and 20s south/coast.) High temperatures are only forecast to reach the upper 20s to around 30 degrees. I hate to say it, but I'm skeptical that any place in New Jersey will even reach the freezing mark Wednesday afternoon.

NAM model temperatures as of 6 a.m. Wednesday, showing freezing temperatures stretching as far south as Florida. (Tropical Tidbits)
NAM model temperatures as of 6 a.m. Wednesday, showing freezing temperatures stretching as far south as Florida. (Tropical Tidbits)
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And, of course, the thermometer doesn't tell the whole story. The westerly breeze (10 to 20 mph) will bite Wednesday, keeping the wind chill ("feels like" temperature) no better than the teens all day. At least we'll start the day with abundant sunshine, just like the past two days. Watch for passing clouds later, with a few flurries possible too.

Wednesday night also looks frigid, with lows in the mid to upper teens.

Skies become mostly cloudy on Thursday. Still dry, still unseasonably chilly, with highs in the lower to mid 30s. (Above-freezing for some — woohoo!)

On Friday, a storm system will pass just to our south, providing a glancing blow to New Jersey. Snow showers will develop starting around midday Friday, probably changing over to rain showers by Friday night. I'm still thinking spots in NJ could see a coating to an inch of snow on the ground. (Don't expect a snow map here — snowfall will be too light and scattered to really pinpoint it.) I'm really not worried about the accumulation, but the timing is something to watch. Snow may be falling during Friday evening's commute, reducing visibility and making roads somewhat slushy.

Into the weekend we go, and Saturday actually looks pretty good. Most of the day will feature golden sunshine and blue skies, pushing temperatures into the mid 40s — only a couple of degrees below normal.

Sunday gets even warmer, with lower 50s expected for most of the state. However, the relative warmth will come with rain. A lot of rain. It looks wet all-day Sunday — a possible washout — with about a half-inch to an inch of total rainfall.

In the long-range forecast, temperatures on Monday and Tuesday should stay reasonably close to normal. There are no big warmups, arctic blasts, or storm systems on the horizon.

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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