The first of two rounds of rain begins to fall in New Jersey. Expect slippery roads as temperatures drop

It’s shaping up to be a gloomy week here in North Jersey, with 2 to 3 inches of rain expected between Monday and Thursday morning. By Monday afternoon, the first of two expected rains had already started to fall in the region.

“We expect the rain to continue today for the rest of the day and then kind of taper off this evening,” Joe Pollina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Monday. “Tuesday afternoon, later in the afternoon we start to see rain return, continuing through Tuesday evening and Wednesday, then tapering off after midnight Wednesday into Thursday.”

The northeastern part of the state, including West Milford, Paramus and Newark, is expected to receive between a quarter and half an inch of rain through around 1 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

During the second round of precipitation, from 1 a.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday, the northern half of the state is expected to receive between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain.

This essential rain arrives while the state still faces severe, even extreme levels of droughtaccording to the US Drought Monitor.

In addition to rain, Pollina said, the National Weather Service expects windy conditions across the region Wednesday and Thursday.

“We are seeing windy conditions in northeastern New Jersey Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday evening, with gusts probably up to about 30 mph at this time,” Pollina said. “They’re a little stronger on Thursday…maybe up to 35 mph.”

Risk of icy roads as temperatures drop near freezing Thursday

Temperatures are expected to drop to around freezing overnight Wednesday into Thursday, according to Pollina, which could cause a brief freezing of accumulations that would occur on the roads by dawn Thursday.

Temperatures are currently expected to rise above freezing during the day Thursday before dropping below freezing Thursday evening.

“It will be a lot colder on Thursday, so temperatures won’t get above 30 degrees, but they will be above freezing…so any ice patches should melt during the day,” Pollina said. “Whatever remains Thursday night will definitely freeze again as we have lows well into the 20s and even some in the teens in parts of New Jersey.”

This article was originally published on NorthJersey.com: Rain hits New Jersey and slippery roads in North Jersey expected due to cold weather