Snowy, Wintry Start To November Possible In NJ: Latest Forecast

NEW JERSEY — There are still several weeks left in an autumn that has been mostly warm and rainy, but forecasters indicate that there could be a pattern shift this week that would bring some wintry weather to New Jersey.

A cold front is all but guaranteed in the coming days, officials say. But the latest predictions from meteorologists at AccuWeather lay out two potential possibilities for later this week into early next week.

Under one of the scenarios, a cold rain coming from the southeast could intensify and move north.

“By Friday, the storm could then march up the East Coast, spreading rain, wind and perhaps the first snow of the season across the higher elevations away from the coast,” AccuWeather says. "The potential for snowfall in this scenario would begin to unfold perhaps as far south as the Blue Ridge Mountains Thursday night into Friday."

Under a second potential scenario, a weaker storm would move through the region faster, leaving a majority of the northeast dry late this week and into the weekend.

Showers and thunderstorms would largely be confined to the southern Plains, lower Mississippi River Valley and the Southeast between Wednesday and Friday.

The first snowflakes of the year could still potentially reach New Jersey, but that would still require the storm to take a northward turn.

Seasonably cold air would encompass the northeast if the storm were to slide off the coast late this week. With the exception of a few lake-effect rain or snow showers, conditions would remain relatively tranquil, according to AccuWeather.

For now, the National Weather Service calls for colder weather later in the week across New Jersey, but a mostly dry start to the month.

Here's the latest forecast:

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 60. Northwest wind around 15 mph.

Monday Night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 41. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Tuesday: A chance of light rain, mainly after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. Light southwest wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night: A slight chance of light rain before 11 p.m., then a chance of rain between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 37. Northwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 54. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 55.

Thursday Night: A chance of rain after 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Friday: A chance of rain before 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 53. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.