Long stretch of hot, humid weather continues for New Jersey

Temperatures in the 90s will approach record highs on Wednesday, as high humidity continues to make for uncomfortable weather conditions.

Here are your weather headlines for Wednesday, July 29, 2015...

90s... Next 7 Days?!

Heat? Humidity? Oh yes, it's definitely summer in New Jersey! A solid stretch of hot weather is on the way over the next week. While each individual day won't quite reach the limits of "extreme" or "dangerous" heat, the length of this heat wave will progressively make life more difficult through next week (at least). It will be very important to take care of yourself and each other - limit your time in the heat during the afternoon and early evening, find a way to cool down, and stay hydrated.

Let's talk about some baseline climatology for New Jersey's three climate reporting stations...

• Newark
  
  • Normal High: 86°
  • Record High: 100°
  • # of 90+ Days in 2015: 14
• Trenton
  
  • Normal High: 85°
  • Record High: 100°
  • # of 90+ Days in 2015: 9
• Atlantic City (EHT)
  
  • Normal High: 85°
  • Record High: 98°
  • # of 90+ Days in 2015: 9

As the graphic at the top of this post illustrates, somewhere in New Jersey is apt to break the 90° every day through next Monday. Today may very well be the hottest day of the week, with forecast high temperatures mostly in the 91° to 96° range. Will there be relief at the Jersey Shore? Yup, but temperatures will still climb into the 80s or even 90° despite the sea breeze. Could a few spots get even hotter? Yup, I could certainly see a few 97° or 98° readings on the temperature map this afternoon.

Of course, the thermometer doesn't tell the entire story on days like today, as dew points in the 60s signal steamy humidity. The heat index (or "feels like" or "apparent" temperature) will be near 100° this afternoon for much of New Jersey. The National Weather Service has issued their usual Excessive Heat Warning for the Philadelphia metro area, including Mercer, northern Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties.

Meanwhile, a "Code Orange" Air Quality Alert has been issued today as well for most of the Garden State, warning that ground-level ozone could be unhealthy for young children, the elderly, and those with heart and lung problems.

Overnight, the humidity will prevent temperatures from dropping below the sticky mid 70s. Yuck.

Thanks to mostly cloudy skies and some approaching rain, Thursday's high temperatures will be a bit cooler, in the upper 80s and lower 90s. Humidity levels will be a hair higher on Thursday though, so it will still feel quite uncomfortable and even oppressive during the heat of the day.

Scattered Rain Chances

Monday afternoon, the sea breeze front combined with the heat and humidity to spawn a couple of compact storms in South Jersey, which dumped upwards of 3/4-inch of rain on isolated locations. Same deal for today's forecast... an isolated storm may pop up around 3 or 4 p.m. with a heavy downpour over a very small area.

Rain chances will be higher on Thursday, ahead of an approaching cold front. The models have hinted at some possible showers early Thursday morning, in the 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. time frame - nothing heavy or widespread, and the rain might (temporarily) cool things off. By Thursday afternoon, a broken line of showers and thunderstorms should start pressing through the state. Today's model run has decreased the overall intensity of these storms, but I do remain concerned about the potential for damaging winds and periods of very heavy rain Thursday afternoon and evening. It's a typical summertime cold front setup, bringing typically loud thunderstorms.

Beyond Thursday evening, the next noteworthy chance of rain will be from our next cold front, in the Monday-Tuesday time frame.

A (Temporary) Break from the Humidity

The frontal passage on Thursday/Friday will have another wonderful effect, aside from the beneficial rain... lower humidity! A much drier air mass will arrive on a northwesterly wind on Friday, making mornings much more comfortable and afternoons a bit more bearable.

Don't be fooled though - the new air mass will not cool us down much, if at all. High temperatures on Friday will be around 90°, and 90s remain likely for the upcoming weekend too.

Furthermore, dew points will return to the sticky 60s again by about Sunday. That summertime humidity... ugh!