Ready for a summerlike warmup? 70s, 80s, and even 90s on the way for NJ

The Bottom Line

Friday will be comfortable and pleasant, and then the heat is on. Highs return to the 60s to close out the workweek, with a mix of sun and clouds and dry weather. Temperatures are forecast to climb into the 70s on Saturday and the 80s on Sunday. Humidity will be on the rise too, leading to a real taste of Jersey summer for early next week. In fact, a heat wave is possible for parts of the state, as we flirt with 90 degrees on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. This is a pretty dry forecast too ��� our next chance for wholesale rain will be from a strong cold front arriving late Wednesday into Thursday.

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Weather Hazards

There are no short-term hazardous weather concerns for New Jersey.

A few special items worth watching:
—Next week's heat and humidity could turn extreme, with temperatures potentially in the 90s and the heat index flirting with triple digits.
—Our next strong cold front, arriving Wednesday into Thursday, bears watching for possible severe thunderstorms.
—New Jersey's drought status has gotten worse, with half the state now in Severe Drought status. We are running at over a foot of rainfall deficit since last summer.

Climatological Context

May 15 is the 135th day of 2026.

Normal high temperatures are still hovering right at 72 degrees around New Jersey. Normal lows range from 51 to 54 degrees.

On average, May is the 5th warmest, 5th driest, and 8th snowiest month of the year.

Friday

Before we get to the talk of big warmups and heat waves, we will enjoy one more pleasant, comfortable day to close out the workweek.

Friday morning is seasonably cool, with temperatures around 50 degrees. We will see high temperatures in the mid 60s or so in the afternoon — similar to Thursday, and about five degrees below normal for this time of year.

Expect a mix of sun and clouds, a light northwesterly breeze, and dry weather. Again, a nice day.

It might be a little cool for a dip in the ocean, but a walk on the sand or the boardwalk might be perfect. I am happy to announce that we have relaunched the Jersey Shore Report for the 2026 season. For each of the next 115 days (at least), we will post an early morning article with a Shore weather forecast, surf conditions, tide times and more.

Friday night will be clear and cool, with lows in the lower 50s. No complaints there either.

Saturday

Warmer air will start to flow into New Jersey's atmosphere on Saturday, thanks to a strong southwesterly breeze. That should yield a gorgeous start to the weekend.

Skies will be mostly sunny on Saturday — a description that still allows for occasional clouds, by the way. It will be breezy and warm, with high temperatures around 75 to 80 degrees. So we will already flip to above-normal. Humidity levels will be manageable ... for now.

Sunday

Sunday gets even warmer. Morning lows will only drop to around 60 degrees. And daytime highs will easily push into the 80s.

Plus, an influx of moisture — humidity — will make the air feel a bit stickier. Dew points are expected to just barely rise into the 60s. So the air will not feel quite "tropical," but it will be noticeable.

Skies will be partly sunny on Sunday, meaning there will be some more clouds in play. And forecast models do paint the chance of a stray shower over New Jersey in the morning. Highest probability for raindrops would be to the north.

Monday & Beyond

The heat really kicks up a notch early next week, as inland New Jersey roasts.

Along the Jersey Shore, however, it looks like the wind will shift slightly to blow from the southeast. In other words, a slight sea breeze or on-shore breeze. That would lend toward much cooler temperatures at the beaches than just a few miles inland.

So I think high temperatures on Monday will range from near 80 degrees along the coast to around 90 degrees inland. It will be fairly humid again, no matter where you are. And we should see hazy sunshine and dry weather all around.

Tuesday and Wednesday both stay hot, with widespread 90s in the forecast. If we make it three days in a row with 90+ degree temperatures, it would be our first Jersey heat wave of the year.

A strong cold front is expected to arrive in the Wednesday-Thursday time frame. That would deliver a period of healthy rain, on the order of a half-inch to an inch total. Plus the potential for some strong to severe thunderstorms. (A threat we will need to monitor closely.)

As long as the arrival and departure timing of that front stays on schedule, I think we are set up nicely for the bulk of the Memorial Day Weekend. Obviously, we will be watching that outlook very closely throughout next week. Stay tuned for the latest!

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