The Bottom Line

70 degrees in January. After highs were only in the teens just ten days earlier. Mother Nature is being awfully dramatic this season, huh?

The gradual transition from record-breaking to seasonable temperatures is underway. Having said that, Thursday is still going to be quite warm, ending up 15 to 20 degrees above-normal for this time of year. (Both in terms of morning lows and afternoon highs.)

Following some fog and showers through Thursday night, temperatures will continue to cool. The bottom line: By the weekend, it's finally going to feel like January around here.

The next storm system to watch arrives Sunday night. That one could bring some light snow and rain to the Garden State.

Thursday

Another legitimately warm January day, both in the morning and afternoon. But compared to Wednesday - when the 70-degree high broke the 72-year old record at Atlantic City International Airport - it is going to be cooler.

We start the day with 50s and some fog issues. Visibility is down to a quarter-mile in spots. And fog may linger for a bit throughout the day, especially along the coast.

Skies will be mostly cloudy, hopefully allowing for some peeks of sun Thursday afternoon. I think the daytime hours will stay dry.

Our cooldown has begun, but even slower than expected. So I have bumped up forecast high temperatures for Thursday, to about 55 to 60 degrees. Another springlike day.

Forecast models are now showing spotty to scattered showers developing Thursday evening, primarily impacting central to northern New Jersey through Thursday night. Rainfall totals will range from hardly anything (south) to over a quarter-inch (north). Fog is a possibility overnight too. Low temperatures will bottom out in the lower to mid 40s.

Friday

Temperatures take another step downward. Highs on Friday will be limited to the upper 40s to around 50 degrees. But guess what - that is still above seasonal normals by almost 10 degrees.

After lingering spotty showers wrap up in the morning, skies should brighten by the afternoon. I'll call it partly sunny. Again, mainly in the 40s. Back to jacket weather.

Saturday

The first full weekend of January will finally feel like January. Saturday morning will be our first frost/freeze of 2023.

Look for a mix of sun and clouds on Saturday. With an occasional stiff breeze out of the northwest. High temperatures will only reach about 40 to 45 degrees.

Sunday

Sunday will be seasonable, with highs in the lower 40s. Skies will progress from sun to clouds, with a light wind.

We are watching our next storm system, which will clip New Jersey from the south Sunday night. If it comes close enough - and that is an "if" at this point - we could see some precipitation. And given the timing and colder temperatures, that could be snow. Maybe even an inch of accumulation by Monday morning's commute.

The Extended Forecast

Temperatures should stay close to normal next week, primarily in the 40s. Next storm system midweek currently looks like a rainmaker. But you know how it goes this time of year - we don't start talking about "precipitation type" details and precise impacts until a few days beforehand.

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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