'Miserable' Coastal Storm To Kick Off Spring In NJ

Spring is officially here. To usher in the new season, Mother Nature is bringing a coastal storm Thursday that could cause coastal flooding issues exacerbated by the full moon, forecasters say.

The National Weather Service, which has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook across much of New Jersey in anticipation of the storm, warns that minor coastal flooding is possible during the Thursday evening high tide cycle.

The good news though, is that temperatures will be warm enough that this storm is not expected to bring accumulating snow to New Jersey. Overnight lows will hover around 40.

The Weather Channel reports Spring's arrival "will be a rude one in the Northeast," due to the coastal storm, which will drop between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain and leave behind wind gusts of up to 40 mph.

The storm's setup is a familiar one: an area of low pressure will spin up, intensify and track near, inland or offshore from the Eastern Seaboard, The Weather Channel reports.

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"While this storm likely won't pack the widespread snow that we saw last March when four nor'easters hit the region in three weeks, it will still make for a miserable couple of days," The Weather Channel said in a Wednesday update.

Here's what we can expect in New Jersey:

• Rain will impact the region starting overnight Wednesday into Thursday
• Precipitation will primarily fall as rain, with some mixing possible in the Pocono region of Pennsylvania.
• Between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain is likely
• Ponding of water on roads is likely
• High astronomical tides caused by the full moon mixed with the storm's rain could cause minor coastal flooding during the Thursday evening high tide
• High winds will be left behind in the storm's wake, with gusts of 35 to 40 mph possible on Friday and Saturday

Here's the forecast:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 49. South wind 5 to 11 mph.

Tonight: A chance of rain, mainly after 4am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 40. Southeast wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday: Rain, mainly after 7am. High near 49. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Rain. Low around 43. East wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Friday: Rain likely before 8am, then a chance of showers after 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 51. Breezy, with a west wind 17 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Breezy.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. Breezy.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34.