The chill of autumn has returned to NJ, with possible rain this weekend
An overnight cold front means a cooldown is ahead for Friday and the start of the weekend, with a possible frost or freeze Friday night.
Here are your weather headlines for Friday, October 23, 2015...
Back to Fall
Our latest cold front has pushed all the way through New Jersey early this morning, and so a cooldown is now in effect. We probably hit our Friday high temperatures at Midnight this morning, as afternoon temperatures will be limited to the lower 60s at best. That will be 10 to 15 degrees cooler than yesterday, and just a hair below normal for late October.
At least skies will be sunny today. However, the bright sunshine will be abated by an occasionally gusty wind to 25 mph, making it feel blustery at times. You may or may not need a light jacket all day today.
As thermometers fall into the 30s statewide tonight, a frost will be likely for most of New Jersey. A light freeze is possible in the very coldest spots overnight.
We will kick off the weekend with cool temperatures for Saturday, as highs only climb to the upper 50s to lower 60s.
Sunday Changes
Sunday looks a bit warmer than Friday and Saturday, as high temperatures bump into the mid to upper 60s. However, along with the warmup will come a chance for some light rain. As another front approaches, that rain will probably take the form of scattered showers for Sunday morning. Much of New Jersey should stay mostly dry, especially through Sunday afternoon. It will get a bit breezy again on Sunday as well, in the 10 to 20 mph range.
Behind the showers will come another cold front. And behind that cold front will be another cold front. Mondays highs will only be in the 55° to 60° range despite abundant sunshine.
Next Week: Patricia
Hurricane Patricia is currently an incredibly powerful storm in the Pacific Ocean - a category 5 major hurricane just off the Mexico coast. As of the 5 a.m. EDT update from the National Hurricane Center, Patricia had maximum sustained winds over 200 mph and central barometric pressure of 880 mb. By my research, that makes it the strongest hurricane on record in the northeastern Pacific and Atlantic basins.
As Hurricane Patricia pushes across Mexico, it will crossover into the Gulf of Mexico by the end of the weekend. Models show the storm will then push across the U.S. Gulf Coast and... yes... potentially head toward New Jersey through the middle of next week.
OK, hold up. Don't panic. When this system arrives here, it is just going to be tropical remnants, so we absolutely do not have to worry about "feet" of rain and 200 mph winds. However... I always say to never underestimate the depth of tropical moisture - we may ultimately have to deal with some pockets heavy rain next week. The GFS model says Wednesday, while the Euro model says Thursday. It is still too early to pin down this forecast any further, so please continue to monitor the forecast carefully.
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