Umbrellas up, NJ: Two more rounds of rain in final days of May

The Bottom Line

The Memorial Day Weekend weather was ... OK. Generally cooler than normal. And probably cloudier and windier than you would like. Monday was the best of the bunch, as the sun finally came out and temperatures finally surged into the 70s.

New Jersey will squeak out one more decent day Tuesday, before our next storm system rolls in. This will be a familiar story: About a day and a half of unsettled, cloudy, breezy cool weather. Nothing crazy, just wet. Wednesday will be the wettest day of the week, with about a half-inch of solid rain (on average) across New Jersey.

And that will not be the only "umbrellas up" day coming up. Another stormy set up is likely at the end of the week, and could affect your weekend plans.

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Tuesday

I was pleasantly surprised to see dawn's first light before 5 a.m. Tuesday morning. Official sunrise is around 5:30 a.m. Days will continually get longer and longer until the Summer Solstice next month.

Even though Tuesday begins where Monday left off — pleasant — cloud cover will thicken up significantly by the afternoon. Most of the day will stay dry, and winds will remain light.

Temperatures will rise from a cool 50-ish degrees in the morning to the 70s later on. Close to normal for this time of year.

Our next storm system will start to bubble up from the southwest late Tuesday. I could see an initial band of showers creeping into SW NJ as early as 4 or 5 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Most of the state will stay dry until much later Tuesday evening.

Wednesday

Weather in a word: Wet. Again.

Expect periods of rain and drizzle to pass over New Jersey throughout Wednesday. Will it be a total washout? Maybe — pretty close, at least. The steadiest rain is expected around the midday hours.

Total rainfall will probably average a solid half-inch across the state. A little more to the south, a little less to the north. The risk of widespread flooding or severe weather is low.

Because of the raindrops and overcast skies, temperatures will go nowhere on Wednesday. Thermometers will be generally stuck in the mid-upper 50s for the duration.

Thursday

Showers may linger through about mid-morning Thursday, especially around northeastern New Jersey.

It is worth mentioning that some model guidance keeps a few showers and thunderstorms plotted over our neighborhood through Thursday afternoon. However, I am opting for a more optimistic outlook, with peeks of sunshine and highs back in the lower 70s. It seems like it will be a nice (albeit brief) break in between storm systems.

Friday

Another batch of energy and moisture will come into play on Friday.

This one does not read like a round of steady, heavy rain and a miserable day. (a la Wednesday) I see two or three waves of showers coming in — morning, afternoon, and night. There could be some pockets of heavy rain and rumbles of thunder along the way, especially during the overnight hours. But there will be breaks of dry weather along the way.

Despite the increased rain chances, high temperatures on Friday should still reach about 70 degrees.

Saturday & Beyond

Now that we are beyond the "unofficial start of summer," there are tons of weekend plans and activities that are weather-dependent. Unfortunately, this Saturday might be affected by continuing rain and thunderstorm chances.

Just like Friday, Saturday will not be a washout. There will be sunshine mixed with clouds, moderate humidity levels, and high temperatures surging through the 70s.

I am concerned about a round of strong thunderstorms as a cold front arrives in the Saturday afternoon hours. That may include the potential for pockets of heavy rain and thunder/lightning.

Sunday dries out and clears out, as temperatures temporarily retreat.

All long-range guidance shows a big warmup for the first week of June next week. 80s and 90s, with mainly dry weather on the way.

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