NJ weather: Turning steamy and stormy this week

The Bottom Line

Outdoor activities are going to face some weather challenges over the next four days. As humidity ramps up again, New Jersey's forecast contains a daily chance of thunderstorms.

I have to say: This is a fairly typical July weather pattern. Remember, this is New Jersey's monsoon season — the wettest month of the year, on average. So daily thunderstorms are not unusual. Humidity is not unusual. Along the way, temperatures will be seasonable, in the 80s. Nothing extreme here.

This may be just what the "drought doctor" ordered — substantial downpours could dump 1 to 2+ inches of healthy rainfall over New Jersey by the end of the week.

There will be some glimmers of drier weather along the way this week. And the big payoff comes next weekend, which looks fantastic so far.

Get our free mobile app

Monday

We start the day with temperatures around 70 degrees. Sticky, but not horrible. There are some pockets of fog around the state. And a batch of showers over southeastern Pennsylvania — they are stationary, and may or may not move over New Jersey through the rest of the morning.

Skies will become mostly cloudy Monday. And humidity goes up, as dew points flirt with 70. High temperatures will be seasonably warm, in the lower to mid 80s.

Honestly, a popup shower is possible at any time on Monday. But the best opportunity for widespread rain will come from a batch of scattered thunderstorms between Monday early evening (dinnertime) and early Tuesday morning. Localized downpours are possible, which could lead to ponding and flooding issues.

It will be fairly muggy Monday night, with low temperatures again near the 70-degree mark.

Tuesday

For the most part, Tuesday's daytime hours look OK. Partly sunny and very warm, with highs in the mid 80s.

Once again, the best chance of thunderstorms will come at night.

Wednesday

By Wednesday, New Jersey's air is going to be really soupy thanks to high humidity. That will help to fuel the most unsettled day of the week.

A shower or thunderstorm looks possible at any time on Wednesday. Yet again, no severe weather necessarily. (That is wind, hail, tornado.) But spotty downpours are likely in the steamy environment. You might catch some breaks of blue overhead by late afternoon.

High temperatures will fall back to the lower 80s. (All along this week, exact temperatures will be dictated by where, when, and how much it rains.)

Thursday

The last unsettled day, as a cold front sets its sight on New Jersey.

We will likely have one more push of scattered rain during the day on Thursday. Not a washout, and not a persistent thing.

Skies will be mostly cloudy to overcast on Thursday. Humidity will be high. And temperatures will probably reach the mid 80s.

Friday & Beyond

Our next big weather change arrives on Friday, as an early morning cold front sweeps out the junk and ushers in much drier air again.

Friday should be quite pleasant, as our weather dries out. Skies will become partly sunny, with highs in the lower to mid 80s. Humidity levels will drop a lot, with dew points settling in the 50s.

That new air mass will hopefully set us up for a wonderful last weekend of July. At the moment, my forecast calls for sunshine, low humidity, dry weather, and seasonably hot temperatures around 85 to 90 degrees. There is a light at the end of this steamy, stormy tunnel!

(And frankly, I do not care how much stormy weather impacts NJ during the week, as long as this precious summer weekend is salvaged!)

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