Pre-Thanksgiving storm to soak N.J. with up to 2 inches of rain, 45 mph wind gusts

A pre-Thanksgiving storm is expected to soak New Jersey with 1 to 2 inches of rain along with gusty winds up to 45 mph from Tuesday afternoon through mid-day Wednesday, forecasters say.

While travel ahead of the holiday will be challenging on Tuesday evening, people departing Wednesday should have a better driving weather with dry conditions during the second half of the day and on Thanksgiving.

The heaviest of the rain is likely to occur from Tuesday night through early Wednesday morning before tapering off west to east through mid-to-late morning, the National Weather Service said in its Monday morning forecast discussion. Winds of gusts of 30-35 mph are likely and gusts as high as 45 mph close to the coast can’t be ruled out.

AccuWeather.com noted the possibility of delays at area airports during that time frame.

Spotty minor coastal flooding is expected along the Jersey Shore with minor flooding anticipated for areas along the Raritan Bay, the weather service said. Temperatures will remain in the 40s on Tuesday.

It’s still expected to be windy on Wednesday afternoon, especially along the Jersey Shore. Highs in the 50s are expected.

The Thanksgiving forecast call for sunny skies and highs in the low 50s.

Ahead of the storm, Monday will be a cool day in New Jersey with sun, light winds and highs only in the 40s. Temperatures are very chilly across most of the state this morning with widespread highs in the 20s and lows 30s as of 7 a.m.

Early Tuesday, a freeze warning will be in effect in Hudson County from midnight to 8 a.m. with temps expected to fall to about 30.

Current weather radar

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.