Monday NJ weather: North cold, south warm, everybody gets wet

This is the kind of weather forecast where I want to shrug my shoulders, announce "there's going to be weather today," and leave it at that. It's a nearly impossible challenge to pinpoint 1.) the timing of impending rain, and 2.) exact high temperatures from north to south — but I'll try my best!

A warm front will be parked right over New Jersey on Monday. That will keep North Jersey cool, with high temperatures only in the upper 30s. But South Jersey, on the other side of that frontal boundary, looks to reach the lower 60s. That is a huge difference over a distance of only 150 miles. With most of the state ending up somewhere between 45 and 55, my best advice would be to dress in layers if possible.

The forecast equalizer for everyone in the state? Rain. Not necessarily a total washout, but it's going to be a wet day overall. Umbrellas up!

As of Monday morning, much of New Jersey has seen a half-inch to an inch of rainfall so far from this storm system. As of this writing (6 a.m.), our latest batch of steady rain is exiting the Jersey Shore. So we'll be in a break from straight rain through much of the AM rush hour. But it's still going to be drizzly and foggy and cloudy and generally yucky.

Additional periods of rain are expected through Monday afternoon. Pockets of heavy rain are possible. So are rumbles of thunder. The Storm Prediction Center has even painted the southern half of New Jersey in a marginal risk for damaging winds and/or an isolated tornado. (That seems a little extreme to me, but still worth mentioning I suppose.)

Sussex County, in far northern New Jersey, is under a Winter Weather Advisory until 4 p.m. Monday. With temperatures close to the freezing mark, there could be some freezing rain and icy spots in higher elevations areas. Again, this wintry risk is very limited.

Wet weather will exit the Garden State completely by early Monday evening, tapering from west to east between about 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Skies will slowly clear Monday night. Low temperatures are forecast to sink to the mid to upper 30s for most New Jerseyans.

As we head into the big New Year's celebration, drier and cooler weather will prevail. But this is not an arctic blast kind of situation.

Tuesday (New Year's Eve) will bring periods of sun and clouds along with a stiff breeze. Highs will be on the mild side of normal, mainly in the upper 40s to lower 50s

We could also see a few rain showers early Tuesday morning. And another chance of a rain or snow shower will pop up Tuesday evening.

The new year and new decade arrives Wednesday with sunshine and seasonably cool temperatures. High temperatures are expected to reach the lower 40s, with a decreasing breeze.

Thursday will be uneventful too. Early sunshine will give way to late clouds, as we stay dry. Highs pop into the upper 40s.

The extended forecast shows another storm system arriving on Friday. And, with another warmup into the 50s, we are once again talking about all rain here. Best chance of wet weather will be from about 1 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, with additional scattered showers possible through Friday night.

Another cooldown arrives for the first weekend of 2020, with dry weather expected for both Saturday and Sunday.

Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter for the latest forecast and realtime weather updates.