The Bottom Line

A front is stalled directly over New Jersey, providing a path for rain and thunderstorms for most of the day Friday. The weekend will fare much better and brighter, with warmer temperatures and also a few thunderstorms around. We're keeping a close eye on newly-upgraded Hurricane Isaias, which could bring rain, wind, surf, and surge concerns to New Jersey in the Monday night to Tuesday time frame.

Friday

We had some noisy thunderstorms overnight, which dumped more than 2 inches of rain through a swath of Somerset and Middlesex counties. And we're nowhere near done with the wet and dismal weather Friday, even though the day won't be a total washout.

Periods of rain will continue sweeping through New Jersey Friday morning and afternoon. That rain may become heavy at times — some models paint a worst-case scenario of 2 to 3 inch rain totals, enough to spawn flash flooding and travel concerns.

Rain should exit the Garden State for good by around 4 p.m., at the latest. Because of the clouds and the rain, temperatures go nowhere. 70s all day for most. Drier, clearer far North Jersey could hit 80.

Partial clearing will take over Friday evening, leading to a pretty comfortable night. Low temperatures will dip into the mid to upper 60s.

Saturday

To me, Saturday's forecast reads like a beautiful summer day — during the daytime hours, at least. Under partly sunny skies, high temperatures will make it into the seasonable (near-normal) mid to upper 80s. Humidity levels will be moderate.

I can't rule out an isolated popup thunderstorm Saturday afternoon. And then the better chance for a batch of showers and thunderstorms will enter the state Saturday night.

Sunday

The chance of scattered thunderstorms will continue for at least the first half of Sunday. The day will be more humid, with more clouds. Pops of late-day sunshine are a good bet. High temperatures will pop back to about the 90-degree mark.

Monday, Tuesday, & Beyond

The forecast for early next week is highly dependent on the track and timeline of Hurricane Isaias, which will drive heavy rain and wind into the Turks & Caicos Islands and southern Bahamas Friday. Impacts for the U.S. East Coast are becoming more and more likely, with a probable landfall along the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Monday. Here in New Jersey, we're facing rain, wind, surf, and surge concerns in the Monday night to Tuesday time frame.

Latest update on Hurricane Isaias, as of 5 a.m. Friday. Impacts for the U.S. East Coast are looking more and more likely. (NOAA / NHC)
Latest update on Hurricane Isaias, as of 5 a.m. Friday. Impacts for the U.S. East Coast are looking more and more likely. (NOAA / NHC)
loading...

For more comprehensive information and insight on Isaias, please review the special weather blog post here:

Have a great weekend!

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

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM