The Bottom Line

For the first time in a long time, we have way more pleasant weather than not in the forecast. There's really nothing extreme here. Thermometers will cook through a couple of 90-degree days. Then we face a single round of strong summertime storms. And then, a taste of delightfully dry, not-humid air arrives - a nice treat for mid-summer!

Tuesday

First, it's worth mentioning that the sky may look a little "weird" over the next few days. The sun will have a milky, washed-out appearance at times. That's because a concentration of smoke particles will be passing about six miles overhead, stemming from massive wildfires in Oregon and Washington State. We'll also see extra colorful sunrises and sunsets.

It's going to be a seasonably hot summer day across New Jersey. We're starting out with temperatures in the upper 60s Tuesday morning. And highs will reach the upper 80s to around 90 degrees Tuesday afternoon. With only a hint of humidity in the air (dew points in the lower-mid 60s), we'll steer clear of "dangerous" heat conditions.

The sea breeze machine will fire up, keeping the Jersey Shore cooler. Coastal highs around 80 seems to be standard lately. I can't tell you just how far inland those cooler temps drive - it all depends on the strength of the sea breeze and the ferocity of the heat.

Skies will generally be mostly sunny and hazy. In the back of my mind, I have to keep the chance of an isolated popup shower (best chance would be close to the sea breeze front). But it's going to be an almost totally dry day across the state.

Tuesday night will be a little bit stickier. Temps will bottom out in the lower 70s, under mainly clear skies.

Wednesday

Another very warm and semi-humid day. Highs will push to about 85 to 90 degrees, with partly sunny skies to start.

A cold front will push in a round of thunderstorms starting in NW NJ in the early afternoon hours. Those storms will drift south and east through the afternoon hours. They look scattered - which means not everyone in NJ will necessarily experience a storm. However, the storms also look strong - so pockets of heavy rain and gusty winds are possible.

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Behind the rain and the front, it will turn breezy. That wind, up to 20 mph, marks the arrival of a cooler, drier air mass overnight.

Thursday

NOT humid! Woohoo!

By Thursday morning, a few spots in NW NJ and the Pine Barrens will have fallen into the almost-cool 50s. Otherwise, 60s will be quite comfortable.

Thursday afternoon, we'll see highs in the lower to mid 80s. With a mix of sun and clouds. Looks like a gorgeous day to me.

Friday

More of the same. Mostly sunny, dry air, dry weather. Morning lows in the 50s and 60s. Afternoon highs again in the lower to mid 80s. (Perhaps a degree or two warmer than Thursday.)


Dew points will start to tick upward on Saturday, leading to a return to "sticky" humidity levels as the weekend goes on. Clouds will increase too Saturday. But I'm going for a dry and warm forecast, with highs in the seasonable mid 80s.

Mostly cloudy skies and an eventual chance of rain will make Sunday iffy. Models are still all over the place with regard to rainfall timing, so I can't give much detail yet.

It looks like heat and humidity will build again next week, leading to a potentially steamy end to July.

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

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