Two more warm days for NJ, then turning 20 degrees cooler

New Jersey's warm, summerlike weather continues for exactly two more days. High temperatures will return to the 80s for most of New Jersey Monday, with patchy fog around in the morning then lots of sunshine. Tuesday will flirt with 80 degrees, amid increasing clouds. Then a batch of rain will roll in Tuesday evening through Wednesday midday, followed by the arrival of a much cooler air mass. Thursday will end up a full 20 degrees cooler than Monday, only in the 60s rather than the 80s. That is much more autumnal.

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Monday NJ weather: Still warm and summerlike

If you like this weekend's unusually, unseasonably warm weather, you will like Monday a lot too.

Patchy dense fog is a problem Monday morning — it is just cool enough and just humid enough for water vapor to condense and reduce visibility in pockets. By 9 or 10 a.m., the fog should lift. And this should really be our only cloud cover in the neighborhood Monday.

Sunshine wins out again Monday afternoon, lifting high temperatures into the lower 80s once again. That is still about 10 degrees above normal for early October. Expect light winds, relatively dry air, and completely dry weather.

Monday night stays quiet, with a few clouds overnight. It may feel a little stickier than the previous night as humidity ticks upward slightly. Look for lows around 60 degrees.

Tuesday NJ weather: One more warm day, rain at night

Clouds will steadily increase Tuesday, from partly sunny in the morning to mostly cloudy by the afternoon. But we should squeeze out one more pleasantly warm day, with high temperatures reaching the upper 70s to around 80 degrees.

Eventually, we will start to feel the impacts of an approaching cold front. First, in the form of rain. I suppose an isolated shower could creep into New Jersey as early as 4 or 5 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. More likely, rain will hold off until much later, as wet weather envelopes the Garden State after 10 or 11 p.m. Tuesday night.

Periods of steady to heavy rain will be likely through Wednesday morning. Much-needed rain, I might add — if all goes well, we will see a widespread soaking of a half-inch to an inch here.

Wednesday NJ weather: Wet start, cool finish

Wednesday starts with rain, making for a soggy AM commute. The wet weather should clear the coast by around lunchtime.

Wednesday afternoon will bring a return of sunshine. But also a brisk wind and cooler air. We might hit 70 degrees on Wednesday — but I think upper 60s are more likely. A far cry from those 80s earlier in the week.

Thursday NJ weather: Feeling like fall

Thursday will likely be the "bottom of the barrel" of our new air mass, as we really settle into a cool air mass. Chilly 40s are likely in the morning. 30s are possible in northwestern New Jersey — if the wind calms enough, it could be cold enough for patchy frost there.

High temperatures on Thursday will only reach the lower 60s. Definitely October-ish. It will be sunny and breezy at times.

Friday stays bright and dry too, with temperatures remaining on the cool side.

Extended NJ weather: Weekend storm on the horizon?

You might start seeing some online rumblings about a potential big storm next weekend. Models are showing an area of low pressure developing off the coast that *could* bring New Jersey multiple inches of rain. Maybe even taking on some tropical characteristics.

On the other hand, all it would take is strong high pressure building to the north to keep this thing away from us.

My suggestion: Mostly ignore the hype for now. Forecasts have been very unreliable lately in that 6 to 7-plus day time frame. If a weekend soaker becomes a "thing," we'll start talking about details probably around Wednesday.

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