A Few Showers, Clouds, and Cool Temperatures for Today and Tomorrow

New Jersey’s weather will be a bit dreary and unsettled over the next two days, although the forecast for the upcoming weekend looks great.

Here are your weather headlines for Thursday, April 30, 2015...

Will It Rain?

After a beautiful, sunny, warm, dry day yesterday, we have some very different weather in the days ahead. All week long, I’ve been hesitant about our rain chances as a pair of storm systems slide by New Jersey today and tomorrow. And that hesitation continues, as we should have a mostly dry forecast for most of the state over the next couple of days. However, a few raindrops are still expected.

Dew points (a measure of atmospheric moisture) have been rising since yesterday afternoon. Clouds will increase from Thursday morning through the afternoon. The cloudiness will combine with cooler air and a wind off the ocean to make our temperatures much cooler today - 60s inland, and 50s along the coast.

Eventually, as a storm system draws closer, we’ll likely see a few showers this afternoon. Timing for those showers looks to be from 2 p.m. onward, and the best location is the southwest corner of the state. Again, I can’t completely rule out a shower or sprinkle for anyone at any time... but it really looks like most of the state should stay dry today.

Tomorrow, once again we have a chance for showers as this storm system shoves out to sea. The system should stay far enough south that most of New Jersey stays dry again tomorrow. However some showers are possible at least in South Jersey and along the coast. Once again, nothing heavy, nothing steady, and the majority of the state looks to stay rain-free. Regardless, the cloudiness and coolness will make for a “blah” day tomorrow, with high temperatures only in the 55° to 60° range.

How’s the Weekend Look?

We have enjoyed three beautiful spring weekends in a row, and this weekend will likely make #4. However, there is one potential hiccup on Sunday afternoon.

Skies will clear on Saturday, and temperatures will start to warm up again. We should be partly sunny (maybe even mostly sunny) by Saturday afternoon, with pleasant, seasonable high temperatures in the upper 60s.

Sunday will start off sunny, and that will help temperatures warm even further, into the lower to maybe mid 70s. But forecast models have persistently put a weak impulse on top of New Jersey on Sunday afternoon, providing for a chance for light showers. (And maybe a thunderstorm, if the atmosphere warms enough to become marginally unstable.)

Ready for Some Heat?

And the forecast only gets warmer beyond this weekend! Monday’s highs look to climb into the mid to upper 70s under beautiful, mostly sunny skies. Tuesday looks even warmer, as we make a run for 80° almost statewide... however, that warmth will come to an abrupt end as a frontal passage looks to bring us showers, thunderstorms, and slightly cooler temperatures for Tuesday night into Wednesday.