Thursday NJ weather: Humidity leads to summery, stormier weather

The Bottom Line

You can feel a hint of humidity in the air on this Thursday morning, and it's hear to stay for a while. (You can also see the humidity, in the form of fog.) The forecast through the weekend will be warm, sticky, and occasionally stormy — while no day will be a washout, we'll have to keep an eye on the sky in the afternoon and evening hours each day.

Thursday

Starting off with some fog and temperatures in the 60s — noticeably warmer than the past five mornings. Afternoon high temperatures will reach the mid 70s — warm, but still below normal for mid-June. Skies will be mostly cloudy, with several waves of spotty showers sliding through the state from southeast to northwest. Most of that shower activity will be light, but I wouldn't rule out a localized downpour.

Not a stellar beach day, especially with a moderate (elevated) risk of dangerous rip currents along the Jersey Shore.

It will be somewhat sticky Thursday night with lows in the mid 60s. Clouds, just an isolated shower, and fog are possible.

Friday

Definitely feeling warm and humid around here. Skies will be partly sunny with a high near 80 degrees (away from the coast), making for a nice summerlike day. We'll just have to keep an eye on the sky for a few showers and thunderstorms after about 3 p.m. The latest models notably paint less widespread storm activity here in New Jersey on Friday afternoon. But given how juicy our atmosphere will be, any storm that does come to visit could feature heavy rain, dangerous lightning, and gusty winds.

Saturday

The weekend forecast looks almost identical to Friday — summery, steamy, and with a mix of sun and clouds. And once again, we have to raise a good chance for afternoon thunderstorms. High temperatures will bump into the seasonable lower 80s. The Summer Solstice officially arrives at 5:44 p.m.

Sunday

Same story, different day. Partly sunny, with a slightly stronger breeze. Afternoon-evening thunderstorms are possible. High temperatures will creep into the lower to mid 80s.

Monday

A renewed surge of heat and humidity will arrive early next week, leading to a potential 90-degree day for inland New Jersey on Monday. For now, I'm going with a partly sunny and dry forecast.

The Extended Forecast

The 90s look to continue for Tuesday too. A midweek cold front would introduce some rain and knock back temperatures slightly. But I think we're looking at generally summerlike weather and above normal temperatures through the rest of June.

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