NJ weather: Warming into the 80s, minimal rain chances

Let the warmup begin! Temperatures return to seasonably warm levels on Tuesday — if you ever wondered what a typical early June day felt like, here it is. Wednesday and Thursday will probably be the sweatiest days of the week. Skies will stay bright and rain chances very limited for now, although showers and thunderstorms could interfere with outdoor plans this weekend.

Tuesday NJ weather: Sunny and seasonable

Tuesday is going to be a dropdead gorgeous day across New Jersey. There are a couple of notes to pass along, but just know that skies will stay bright and conditions will stay dry all day.

Tuesday morning's temperatures are about 5 to 10 degrees warmer than Monday morning's. That may be enough to make the difference between jacket vs. not. Most of NJ is starting the day in the 50s.

Look for mostly sunny skies, and highs mainly in the upper 70s to around 80 degrees. That is right on the normal high (77 or 78 degrees) for early June.

For part of the day, a light breeze will blow from the southeast, an on-shore wind. Ocean water temperatures are currently 61 to 65 degrees - running a bit cooler than usual for this point in the season. So the Jersey Shore will be held cooler Tuesday afternoon - temperatures will probably be about 10 degrees lower than just a few miles inland.

In addition, wildfires in central Canada are spewing a lot of smoke into the upper atmosphere. Those smoke particulates are getting caught up in the jet stream, and will pass over New Jersey Tuesday afternoon. You may notice a hazy, milky, washed-out appearance to the sky at some point. But the plume is not thick enough nor low enough to cause a smell or air quality problems.

Tuesday evening will be fantastic, with clear and comfortable weather overnight. Lows should dip into the upper 50s by Wednesday morning.

Wednesday NJ weather: A hint of humidity

By Wednesday, you might be reaching for the air conditioner. Not only because temperatures will end up 5 to 10 degrees warmer than Tuesday, but because humidity levels will ramp up a little bit too.

Dew points will rise on Wednesday into the 60s. I call that air "sticky" but not quite "steamy".

It will be very warm and mostly sunny. Highs are forecast to reach the lower to mid 80s. Akin to a typical mid-summer day.

Thursday NJ weather: Sultry, summerlike weather

Thursday looks downright hot. By the numbers, highs will reach the mid to upper 80s. We could absolutely hit 90 degrees in a few spots too.

Expect sun with passing clouds. And there are a couple opportunities for a quick shower, to the north and south late-day Thursday. Latest forecast models really back off the idea of any widespread rain, so I am thinking this will be isolated raindrops only.

Friday NJ weather: One more warm day

Similarly, a popup thunderstorm is not impossible on Friday, especially given the heat and humidity in the air. I am thinking we will close out this first workweek of June with another very warm, generally pleasant day.

As skies generally clear from clouds to sun, highs will end up in the 80s. If sunshine dominates, I could once again see a few 90s around inland SW NJ.

Extended NJ weather: Cold front this weekend

Saturday is the sticky wicket in this forecast, as a cold front approaches New Jersey. The latest European model is quite bullish on rain potential, while the GFS shows only spotty showers around. I think it is clear that New Jersey will see some rain through the first half of the weekend. And downpours are a possibility. But I am leaning toward a "not all day" solution. We will see how things will continue to develop.

Sunday clears to sunshine, as temperatures correct downward to near-normal 70s. As long as things play out on schedule, Sunday should be yet another very nice June day.

5 DAY FORECAST: New Jersey Weather Center