Dry air will be the big driver of New Jersey's seasonable, pleasant, mostly rain-free forecast over the next week.

15 of the 16 days between September 12 and September 27 brought widespread 80s and 90s to New Jersey. As you probably noticed, that extended stretch of unseasonable warmth ended Thursday as cooler, drier air arrived in the Garden State.

And we have a simply gorgeous weather forecast, filled with fall-like weather, through the upcoming weekend. There's one little hiccup though, as another (weak) cold front passes through the state.

Friday is beginning with a chill in the air, with temperatures hovering around 50 degrees from Sussex to Cape May. It's a few degrees warmer (up to the mid 50s) along the coast, and even cooler in the elevations of NW NJ and the Pine Barrens. Cool stuff! Don't be timid if you need a jacket, sweater, or hoodie this morning (and for the next several nights/mornings too!)

The rest of the day will feature beautiful blue skies and golden sunshine, along with dry weather and light winds. High temperatures will peak in the lower 70s across the state, typical for late September.

Low temperatures for Friday night into early Saturday morning will probably end up similar to Friday morning's readings, in the lower 50s (give or take). In addition, a reinforcing cold front will arrive during the overnight hours. This will present a few showers between about Midnight and 8 a.m. Saturday — but keep in mind, our atmosphere will be very very dry, so the rainfall should stay light and rather insignificant.

We'll hold onto clouds through at least Saturday late morning, and I have to leave the chance for a lingering shower in the forecast too. Saturday will be a breezy day (gusts to 25 mph). And we get even cooler — high temperatures are forecast to end up below-normal, in the mid to upper 60s.

By Sunday, skies will return to sunshine and high temperatures will return to about 70 degrees. Once again, quite pleasant.

Monday also looks great — sunny and seasonable, with slightly warmer temperatures in the lower to mid 70s.

The warming trend will continue through midweek. I suspect we'll be back in the 80s again by next Friday.

One more important note about the surf, which has been consistently rough for weeks now. Wave heights along the Jersey Shore are expected to calm from 4 to 6 feet early Friday, to 2 to 4 feet by Friday evening. We continue a precautionary high risk of rip currents along the coast — just use common sense before you take a tip in the Atlantic. I am optimistic the risk level will drop to moderate or low this weekend. Ocean temperatures are above normal for this time of year, between 71 and 75 degrees!

Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter for the latest forecast and realtime weather updates.

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