Thursday is one little snag in an otherwise awesome week of weather for NJ

The Bottom Line

Thursday is the one snag in an otherwise lovely week of weather — as a couple pieces of energy ride through New Jersey’s atmosphere, we will see a couple rounds of rain. The first batch of showers will be early, through about mid-morning. Once those raindrops fizzle out, we should break into partly to mostly sunny skies. It will be warm, humid, and breezy again, with high temperatures possibly flirting with 90 degrees for part of the state. One more push of rain is possible late Thursday evening through early Friday morning. There could be some steady-ish rain and rumbles of thunder, but nothing crazy. Then we catch about 36 hours of nice, refreshing, comfortably warm weather from Friday through the first part of Saturday. The next rain chance has slid earlier, now forecast to arrive Saturday night through Sunday morning. There could be some heavy rain and flooding concerns to watch from that one, as we tap into more humid air once again.

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Weather Hazards

Even though Thursday’s temperatures will be unseasonably warm, in the upper 80s to around 90 degrees, New Jersey will fall far short of dangerous heat. It will be warm. It will be humid. It may get sweaty for a while. But heat index values should not approach advisory criteria.

Any thunderstorms that form Thursday will be on the mild side and not particularly dangerous. The late Thursday evening rain chance may include some steadier rain and a few rumbles of thunder, but rainfall totals around a tenth of an inch will not amount to much.

The next storm system this weekend could have a little more bite, in terms of downpours and gusty winds. The worst weather there luckily looks to fall during the overnight hours between Saturday and Sunday. Heavy rain will be a possibility, and flooding concerns may have to be watched if that rain really pours down from the sky.

Climatological Context

September 10 is the 253rd day of 2026.

Normal high temperatures range from 79 to 81 degrees — the first day in a long while where normal highs were not in the 80s. Normal low temperatures for this date range from 60 to 63 degrees.

September is, on average, New Jersey’s fourth warmest and sixth driest month of the year.

Thursday

So far, this week's weather has been great. And the rest of the week looks good today. Thursday presents one or two little snags, with some showers and sultry humidity in play. But there's still a lot to like about this forecast — especially if you like it warm.

It is a bit sticky across New Jersey early Thursday morning, as the vast majority of the state did not fall below 70 degrees overnight. It feels like summertime! (Of course, it is still summer until the Autumnal Equinox in 12 days.)

We have been watching some damp conditions over northern and central New Jersey, as spotty rain showers worked through early Thursday morning. This first round of rain should fizzle out and exit by mid-moring, around 9 a.m.

Then the majority of Thursday turns dry.

In fact, New Jersey should get some good breaks of sunshine from late morning through the afternoon. Expect partly to mostly sunny skies, a stiff breeze, and a taste of real summer warmth. High temperatures will reach about 85 to 90 degrees, with moderate to high humidity. Thursday will probably be New Jersey’s warmest day of the week.

The Shore looks pretty good overall too. Early September is usually rip current season, as Local Summer can bring big waves and rough surf. Not so much this year, probably thanks to the tropics staying very quiet. A low risk of rip currents is posted, with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. Ocean temperatures are still nice and warm, between 76 and 82 degrees.

Watch out for one more round of rain late Thursday evening, centered more on southern New Jersey. Nothing heavy, nothing crazy, just wet. Lingering clouds and sticky air will follow overnight, with lows only dipping into the upper 60s.

Friday

Friday flips right back to beautiful, refreshing weather.

Any lingering raindrops from late Thursday night should clear out early Friday morning — just in time for September 11 memorial services.

From there, skies will clear to sunshine, humidity will drop, and the air will feel much more comfortable.

High temperatures will end up around 80 degrees, right around normal for this time of year. Great!

Saturday

Most of Saturday looks good, as we begin New Jersey's weekend on a pleasant note.

Clouds will increase from morning to afternoon, but much of Saturday should stay dry. High temperatures will reach the upper 70s, with comfortable air hanging on for at least the first part of the day.

The timing for our next chance of inclement weather has slid earlier. So I do have to call for an increasing chance of rain by Saturday evening. (Timing is key, of course — the later the rain holds off, the better Saturday will turn out.)

Rain may become steady or heavy at times late Saturday night, with some forecast models pumping out an inch or two of total rainfall for part of New Jersey. So we will have to be on the lookout for flooding issues, along with the potential for some strong thunderstorm cells.

Sunday & Beyond

Sunday will likely start wet, with lingering overnight rain that could still be heavy in spots.

However, there is good news for Sunday daytime, as steady rain should come to an end by mid-morning at the latest. We will have lots of clouds overhead, and possibly a few spot showers around the Garden State. But things will start to trend considerably drier.

High temperatures on Sunday will reach the lower to mid 80s. Back on the warm side.

The first half of next week looks good. Next storm system would be a late week cold front.

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