Tuesday NJ weather: Two more big pushes of rain coming up

The Bottom Line

New Jersey is in the midst of a humid, unsettled stretch of weather. And let me remind you that's a good thing. For several weeks now, we have been talking about how badly we need rain. Well, here it is — let's savor every drop we can get.

There are two more big pushes of rain coming up. The first will be Tuesday night into Wednesday. And the second will arrive during the day on Thursday.

We really only have one concern going forward: Minor ponding and flooding issues. In other words, big puddles. No severe wind. And no extreme heat.

There is light at the end of this stormy, steamy tunnel. Drier weather and drier air arrive on Friday. Can we hold on to fantastic weather through the final weekend of July too?

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Tuesday

Overnight, parts of North Jersey picked up over an inch of healthy rainfall. It looks like everyone got at least a shower overnight, so you are waking up to wet roads and puddles.

As of this writing (6:30 a.m.), there is still some patchy drizzle over New Jersey. And one more batch of showers that will clip North Jersey through the rest of the morning.

While I can not completely rule out an isolated popup shower later on, your Tuesday daytime hours do look almost totally dry.

Skies Tuesday should be brighter than Monday, with clouds and some peeks of sun through the afternoon. As for humidity, you will definitely feel it, but it's not quite "tropical" or even steamy.

Temperatures are in the lower 70s to start the day, rising to the mid 80s Tuesday afternoon. That is right on the normal high for late July.

We will get wet again Tuesday night. Pockets of rain will return to the Garden State around the late evening hours, after 9 or 10 p.m. Given our moisture-rich atmosphere, rain will likely be heavy at times through the overnight hours.

In fact, at least one model pumps out about 2" of rain for South Jersey, which will be closest to the main storm system driving this rain. That degree of heavy rain is not a guarantee, but we will have to be vigilant to ponding and flooding issues overnight.

Wednesday

Steady to heavy rain may very well be an issue through Wednesday morning's commute. And then the main drive of wet weather will wrap up by around 10 a.m.

The rest of Wednesday looks unsettled. Skies will definitely stay mostly cloudy. And the chance of a shower or thunderstorm will continue. Humidity also ramps up a notch, with dew points in the 70s.

Due to limited sunshine and the chance of raindrops, Wednesday's high temperatures will come down a few degrees compared to Tuesday's. (Admittedly a tricky forecast here.) We'll top out in the lower 80s or so.

Thursday

Thursday is the grand finale of this week's murky weather, as we mix occasional sunshine with occasional storms.

We will face one last push of scattered rain during the daytime hours on Thursday, as a cold front approaches from the west.

The exact timing and spread of this rain are still unclear. And I am undecided whether downpours and/or severe thunderstorms could become an issue. But everyone in New Jersey could get wet at some point.

It will be humid, breezy, and warm with highs in the seasonable mid 80s.

By sunset Thursday at the latest, rain will end, skies will start to clear, and humidity will start to drop.

Friday

Get ready for some gorgeous summer weather to end the week.

Friday will be sunny and dry. It will be warm. And most importantly not humid, as dew points descend well into the comfortable 50s.

Overall, a really nice day with highs 80 to 85 degrees. Enjoy it!

The Extended Forecast

I am happy to report the beautiful weather will hold through the weekend too. Again, sunny, dry, and warm.

Humidity levels will notch up slightly this weekend, with dew points in the 60s. So it will feel sticky. But as long as low temperatures dip into the comfortable 60s at night, we'll be doing just fine.

No big storm systems on the horizon for next week, although we will probably see a few spot showers and storms here and there.

The more likely scenario is for another wave of heat next week, as July turns to August. Model guidance has been pretty consistent in showing widespread 90s for a few days next week. So make sure your air conditioners are tuned up and ready for action once again.

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