A strong pre-Thanksgiving storm will hit New Jersey with heavy rain and 45 mph winds. Latest travel updates.

Those looking to get a head start on Thanksgiving week travel today and early Wednesday face a challenging weather forecast, with up to 2 inches of rain and strong wind gusts of up to 45 mph in New Jersey before calmer conditions prevail for Thanksgiving Day.

Nearly the entire state is expected to receive between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain by midday Wednesday, with the heaviest showers Tuesday and early Wednesday, the National Weather Service said in its latest storm forecast.

Already busy roads are likely to be slippery and delays at airports are possible from Tuesday evening into Wednesday, forecasters said.

The northwest corner of the state is expected to end up with 1 to 1.5 inches of rain from the system. Part of that area — particularly northern Sussex County — is also the only part of the state that could briefly see frozen precipitation Tuesday afternoon, the weather service said.

Besides showers, the other major danger from the storm will be strong wind gusts of 25 to 35 mph that can sometimes exceed 45 mph along the New Jersey coast. Winds, however, are expected to decrease significantly early Wednesday, except in areas immediately along the coast.

A coastal flood advisory will be in effect from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. in eastern Essex, Hudson and eastern Union counties.

Temperatures are only expected to reach 40°C on Tuesday before rising slightly overnight to 50°C.

The rain is expected to ease by midday Wednesday for the start of a stretch of dry, sunny weather that forecasters say will continue through Thanksgiving and through the weekend.

Highs will be in the 50s by Thanksgiving, but will cool off each day after that.

Highs the day after Thanksgiving will be mostly in the upper 40s and reach the lower 40s on Saturday before a slight rebound to the upper 40s on Sunday. Overnight lows throughout this period will be in the upper 20s and lower 30s.

Current weather radar