NJ weather: Fantastic Friday, popup thunderstorms this weekend

The Bottom Line

It has been a pretty active week of weather around New Jersey. Two days featured strong, super-soaker thunderstorms. Plus one confirmed tornado on Monday, and a couple more areas of damage under investigation from Thursday's storms.

I am happy to say we are closing out the workweek with a beautiful weather day. Quiet, dry, and warm.

And the bulk of the weekend will be good too. Definitely warm and humid. The only wrinkle: A few popup thunderstorms are possible in that juicy atmosphere, especially late-day Saturday.

The next big storm system to watch is coming up late Monday into Tuesday. Strong thunderstorms and heavy rain will usher in another stretch of beautiful weather by the middle of next week.

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Friday

Looking great, from start to finish.

As we start this Friday morning, there are some pockets of fog. I have seen visibility down to a quarter-mile in a few spots, which is enough to slow you down as you drive through a cloud. Foggy conditions should not last long — as temperatures rise, we should see clear visibility by about the 8 o'clock hour.

Meanwhile, temperatures are in the 60s from top to bottom around the bottom. That's what we like to see here in the middle of summer. Dew points will descend to around 60, which is dry enough to call "not that humid".

We will enjoy sunshine Friday morning, before scattered clouds build in Friday afternoon. It will be a completely dry and storm-free day.

High temperatures should reach the mid 80s, close to normal for this time of year. The Shore should be closer to 80 degrees, making for a delightful beach day.

Friday evening also looks comfortable and problem-free. Under partly cloudy skies, low temps should dip into the upper 60s on average.

Saturday

Again, on balance, it will be a solid summer day, with typical August weather.

High temperatures on Saturday will reach about 85 to 90 degrees. Definitely warm. And especially as humidity ticks upward, you will definitely sweat.

We will see a mix of sun and clouds across the day. A bright sky, with a bit of haze.

I do have to include the chance for a few popup thunderstorms, especially Saturday afternoon and evening. The best forcing for a storm will be in the northern third of NJ. The lowest chance for showers and storms will be near the coast. (Good news for beach-goers.)

Severe weather chances are conditional. If you see one of those isolated storms, it will likely reach strong or severe limits. So a few spots could see a brief period of heavy rain, gusty winds, and lightning. The usual safety guideline applies: When thunder roars, head indoors.

Viewing conditions for the Perseid meteor shower Saturday evening will be fair. Skies will not be crystal clear, with clouds in play. But there will probably be enough breaks in the cloud cover to see some spectacular streaks in the sky.

Sunday

Sunday's forecast is trending dry. While a shower or thunderstorm is possible, I am optimistically going for a sunny forecast.

High temperatures will end up around 90 degrees Sunday afternoon. Pretty hot, although not tropical or extreme.

Monday & Beyond

A strong cold front will introduce another period of active weather early next week. On Monday, clouds and humidity will increase dramatically, leading to likely thunderstorms at night. Yet again, downpours and wind will be on the table.

Showers and storms may linger for a bit Tuesday morning, then we'll be in the clear. Sunny skies, non-humid air, and dry weather should return for Wednesday and Thursday (at least). High temperatures will be seasonably warm too, in the 80s.

Still no horrendous heat waves or tropical concerns on the horizon.

Have a wonderful 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.