Tuesday NJ weather: Cool morning, sunny, breezy, rainy at night

New Jersey gets to enjoy a couple of mainly quiet, fairly seasonable weather days through the midpoint of the week. But we are eyeing a late-week storm system that could produce thunderstorms, pockets of heavy rain, and wet weather for part of the Easter holiday weekend.

Not a terrible forecast for Tuesday, although we are off to a chilly start. The strong wind gusts on Monday and Monday night introduced a cooler air mass into the Northeast U.S. So that's why you'll need a jacket Tuesday morning, with temperatures in the upper 30s to lower 40s across the state.

We'll enjoy mostly sunny skies through Tuesday afternoon. It will be breezy, a term I usually assign to a "noticeable" wind blowing at about 10 to 20 mph. Clearly not as windy as the past 24 hours. The daytime hours should remain dry. Temperatures will be near-normal for mid-April, in the lower to (maybe) mid 60s.

Clouds will start to build overhead Tuesday evening, and the wind will (finally) die down. A compact storm system will visit the Garden State too, with some rain expected between about 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Best chance for wet weather will be in the northern half of the state. And it's not going to be as dramatic as Monday's severe thunderstorms — this is just a round of rain.

The rest of Wednesday will be fine. Look for a mix of sun and clouds and high temps around 60 degrees.

I'd also classify our next storm system as no big deal, as scattered showers and sprinkles impact New Jersey Thursday morning. It's hopefully not going to rain all day, although skies look quite cloudy through Thursday afternoon. No surprises in the temperature department, as we hold steady in the lower 60s or so.

A warmup will kick-in Friday, as high temperatures rise into the upper 60s to lower 70s. (The cool spot will be the Jersey Shore.) However, we're prone to get soaked later on, as a sizable area of low pressure will come into view for the second half of Friday. (That's Good Friday and the first night of Passover, by the way.)

Here's how I see things playing out for the big holiday weekend, subject to change as model guidance continues to evolve. Showers begin Friday afternoon. Pockets of heavier rain kick in Friday evening through Saturday morning. Rain largely tapers off around Saturday midday. Skies will remain mostly cloudy to overcast for the rest of Saturday, but I'm hopeful we'll keep temperatures in the above-normal, comfortable mid-upper 60s.

Easter Sunday also looks a bit unsettled, as the same storm system pushing a few passing showers through New Jersey. Rainfall looks far lighter and more scattered than the Friday night-Saturday morning sog-fest. It will probably be the cooler day of the weekend, in the lower-mid 60s.

Obviously, it's a big weekend for springtime outdoor activities and traveling. Unfortunately, the forecast is not perfect. However, just like the past two April weekends, it's not looking like a total washout — you will find glimmers of dry, pleasant weather along the way.

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