The Garden State will enjoy a few beautiful sunny, warm, mostly dry days to kickoff the new month.

Happy June, New Jersey! I'm usually a big fan of May - pleasant temperatures and abundant sunshine make me happy. But I have no problem closing the record books on May 2017. Monthly rainfall ended up 3 to 4+ inches above normal across most of the state, while temperatures hovered below normal. (Excepting, of course, our mid-month mini heat wave.)

June 1 is the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season. It's also the first day of climatological summer! (Meteorologists and climatologists use full calendar months to calculate statistics — it's much cleaner and easier than using exact solstice and equinox dates.) From June's start to finish, we'll see normal high temperatures increase from the mid 70s to the mid 80s, as summer kicks into gear.

And it's a beautiful start to the new month and the new (climatological) season, with several bursts of sunshine expected in the coming days!

For Thursday morning, I've seen some patchy fog and stray showers reported across the state. But those won't last long. Skies should become mostly sunny by late morning, with high temperatures climbing into the upper 70s to lower 80s Thursday afternoon. It will be breezy, but dry. Simply a fantastic early June day.

And Thursday night looks pleasant too, with mostly clear skies and comfortably cool low temps in the mid 50s.

Friday looks mostly good too. Skies will range from mostly sunny to partly sunny. Temperatures will be a little cooler, but still comfy, with highs limited to the lower to mid 70s. The big wrinkle in the forecast will be a front Friday afternoon, that should sweep a few brief showers or thunderstorms through the state (starting around 3 p.m. Friday at the earliest).

I'm pleased to pass along that the upcoming weekend features about 75% good news. Saturday looks great, with mostly sunny skies and mild temps, topping out in the mid 70s. I'm somewhat hesitant to declare the day as dry. But I do like what I see in the models, which have trended toward a dry solution over the past couple of days.

Sunday will start out quiet, with increasing clouds and high temperatures holding steady in the mid 70s. Our next storm system will make its grand arrival starting around mid-afternoon Sunday, with thunderstorms and steady rain overtaking the Garden State through Sunday night.

And then we'll see a return to an unsettled weather forecast, with additional rain expected for Monday and Tuesday. I don't want to nail down the timing of this rain too far too fast — just get that umbrella ready for early next week.

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