Monday was an outlier in a generally cool, dry week of weather here in New Jersey. I was surprised to see widespread lower to mid 70s across southern New Jersey — even at Midnight! The relative warmth and humidity are behind us now, as is (most of) the rain.

As I'm typing this (6 a.m. Tuesday), there are still a few minuscule sprinkles still working through southern Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May counties. The final remnant of a cold front, we'll also contend with a brisk northwesterly wind through Tuesday morning.

While the rest of the day looks dry, skies will remain mostly cloudy to overcast. Temperatures should remain stuck in the 50s through Tuesday afternoon.

For several days, model guidance has hinted at a few showers drifting through the southern half of New Jersey Tuesday evening. The rest of the overnight looks quiet, mostly cloudy, and chilly. Low temps will dip into the mid 40s for most. There could be some 30s in NW NJ by Wednesday morning.

Wednesday will look nice — sunny and dry, with high temperatures recovering to about 60. However, a brisk westerly wind will kick up, potentially gusting in the 30 to 40 mph range. That will definitely put a blustery finish on the day.

And then along comes Thursday. I have to admit my jaw dropped a bit when I saw just how cold it's going to be!

First of all, a widespread frost seems increasingly likely Thursday morning, as temperatures fall into the mid 30s for all but the cities and the coast. Then, thermometers won't make it much past the 50 degree mark Thursday afternoon. Bright sunshine will be countered by a chilly northwest wind to 20 mph.

A low of 35 and a high of 50 would be "normal" for Thanksgiving. But for mid-October, it's 10 to 15 degrees below climatological normals! Especially given that wind chill factor, you may have to add an extra layer of bundling on Thursday.

Friday will be better, as temps recover to about 60 degrees. Clouds will increase throughout the day, but the forecast currently remains dry.

The early preview of the weekend shows mixed news, which is pretty typical for autumn time. Saturday's highs will warm to the lower to mid 60s, although we'll see scattered rain and feel a stiff breeze. Sunday will be the sunnier and cooler day, as thermometers get knocked back into the 50s once again.

No major warmups, no major storm systems in sight. Just a healthy dose of autumn chill right through early next week!

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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