NJ weather: More gorgeous weather ahead, with one little snag

The Bottom Line

Remember last fall, when literally every weekend was lousy and wet?

Or the winter and early spring, when heavy rain storms caused persistent unsettled skies and several rounds of flooding?

Yeah. That is why when we get a stretch of dry, non-humid, seasonable weather, it deserves all the excitement we can muster.

This week's forecast is awesome. There will be some rain Wednesday night into Thursday morning. And temperatures will fluctuate slightly, cooling then warming again. But overall, conditions will remain comfortable and pleasant. Right through the upcoming weekend.

Get our free mobile app

Wednesday

Wednesday morning is beautifully clear and crisp. Thermometers are starting the day in the 50s. And we will see highs around 75 to 80 degrees in the afternoon — just slightly above normal for late May.

A nice dry air mass will keep dew points in the 50s, making for a comfortable and evening refreshing day. The morning will stay bright and sunny, before clouds gently increase through the afternoon. Again, so far so good.

A round of scattered showers and thunderstorms is likely to impact New Jersey later on. First raindrops may develop as early as the afternoon hours (3 or 4 p.m.) More likely though, this will be an evening rain event.

Unlike Memorial Day Monday's storm event, when we were ringing alarm bells for strong to severe storms, heat and humidity are much more limited this time around. So we are not expecting anything crazy or severe — just some rain (about a quarter-inch), some rumbles of thunder, and maybe a few marginal wind gusts (up to 40 mph).

The rest of Wednesday night will be mostly cloudy and comfortably cool, as low temperatures dip into the mid 50s or so.

Thursday

As a slight cooldown prevails, you may have to give up on the shorts and flip-flops for the next few days. Our weather will be nice. Just not very summerlike.

A leftover shower may linger through about daybreak Thursday morning. But the forecast for the rest of the day trends brighter and dry.

As skies become partly sunny, a northwesterly breeze will keep temperatures below-normal for the first time in almost two weeks. Look for highs on Thursday in the lower 70s.

Friday

No complaints or qualms about Friday's weather whatsoever.

Seasonable 50s in the morning. Seasonable mid 70s in the afternoon. With plenty of sunshine, a light breeze, dry weather, and continued low humidity.

The Weekend & Beyond

Those 15 weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day are precious. Whether you're enjoying the beach or backyard, or just grabbing a breath of fresh air. And it just makes me so happy to be able to present a pleasant weekend forecast.

To kick off the month of June, Saturday will be sunny and dry. High temperatures should reach into the upper 70s to around 80 degrees. A real winner.

Clouds will roll in Sunday. And both humidity and temperatures will tick up a notch. Sticky lower 80s are expected for the second half of the weekend.

I have dried out Sunday's forecast. But I am a little concerned about a piece of energy expected to produce some rain on Monday. If that mini storm system shifts slightly earlier, we may have to talk about some raindrops at the tail-end of the weekend. (Fingers crossed that will not happen!)

There are two trends emerging in the long-range forecast for next week. A return of occasionally unsettled weather, meaning clouds and showers. And a big warmup, with 90s possible by the time we reach the second weekend of Jun.

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