NJ weather: Staying unsettled and showery this weekend

The Bottom Line

Hurricane Helene made landfall late Thursday evening. It is currently a tropical storm, centered over Georgia, still producing very heavy rain and strong winds. Lots of power outages and dramatic weather across the southeastern United States.

As we have discussed, Helene will sit and spin and rain itself out over Tennessee and Kentucky this weekend. So there will be no direct impacts here in New Jersey. And no dangerous weather whatsoever.

However, Helene's tropical moisture will combine with a stalling front to keep our weather unsettled. Sporadic showers, thick clouds, and below normal temperatures will carry through this first full weekend of fall. And I have a rain chance plugged in for New Jersey on each of the next six days. We will finally see the sun again on Wednesday.

Of course, let's keep in mind that the wet weather is a good thing. With 78% of New Jersey now classified as "Abnormally Dry" and 8% of the state now in "Moderate Drought," it will be good to see even a half-inch of rain fall in the closing days of September.

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Friday

Not a pretty weather day. But I have to admit, I like the "damp and dreary" change of pace.

Friday morning will stay foggy and drizzly. Visibility is down to a quarter-mile in spots, which may slow you down. A few stray showers have formed in this humid atmosphere too.

A cold front is inching through New Jersey, which will knock down some of that humidity. It is going to stall over South Jersey, providing a "highway" for moisture and rain through the weekend.

By Noon Friday, we will be looking for a band of rain bubbling up from the south. It will be scattered and light — but probably will get most of New Jersey wet. Rain will progress from southern to central NJ through the afternoon and evening hours.

Meanwhile, temperatures are going nowhere fast Friday. We're starting the day at a muggy 70 degrees. And highs will only reach the lower 70s, at the warmest.

Pockets of rain remain possible into Friday night. And we will probably see fog develop again. Overnight low temperatures will dip into the mid 60s.

Saturday

Outdoor activities this weekend will be challenging, but not impossible. It depends on your tolerance for "any" rain.

On Saturday, spotty showers look likely, especially across the southern half of the state. Not an all day thing. And we are only talking about a few hundredths of an inch of additional rainfall. But you may very well need the umbrella and/or windshield wipers at times.

I will be optimistic and call Saturday "mostly cloudy" — since far South Jersey could see a glimmer of sun at some point. Again, thermometers will be very consistent all day, with highs only around 70 degrees.

Sunday

More of the same. Lots of clouds. A few showers. I do think Sunday could be the drier and brighter day of the weekend.

It will also be the cooler day, with high temps only reaching 65 to 70 degrees. Very autumnal.

Monday

Monday is trending drier, although we will probably see a few isolated showers around the state. Under mostly cloudy skies, highs will reach around 70 degrees.

That is just below normal for the last day of September — but as long as the day stays dry enough and bright enough, it will not be a sour end to the month.

Tuesday & Beyond

Model guidance has been pretty firm in suggesting we will get one more "grand finale" round of rain from Tuesday into Wednesday morning. I do not want to get too specific about timing and potential rainfall totals yet — other than to say this could be the steadiest rain of this unsettled stretch of days.

A strong cold front will sweep out all the "junk" on Wednesday — the rain, the clouds, the humidity. And we should get a big reset for the second half of the week.

Next Thursday in particular looks like a very nice early October day, featuring sunshine, a stiff breeze, and seasonable high temperatures in the lower 70s.

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