Near 90° Thursday, watching another showery weekend for NJ

Thursday will be another pleasant weather day for New Jersey, although a few degrees hotter, slightly more humid, and breezier than Wednesday. High temperatures will come close to 90 degrees. That stiff west breeze will keep the hot air moving around, and will also make mainland beaches toasty. Highs will come close to 90 degrees today. A popup thunderstorm can't be ruled out Thursday evening. Then rain chances ramp up again Friday night into the Father's Day Weekend.

Thursday NJ weather: Hot and breezy

Thursday will be similar to Wednesday, in that it will be pleasant and mostly sunny and summerlike. But the "triple H" conditions will ramp up even more, as temperatures rise about five degrees hotter, humidity kicks up a notch, and skies become hazier too.

Thursday morning is starting off comfortable enough, with temperatures in the 60s across the state. Look for a high near 90 degrees Thursday afternoon — this would be considered hot even in the "dog days of summer," about six weeks from now. Humidity levels will be in the "moderate" category, with dew points in the 60s — definitely enough to keep you sweating.

One special addition to Thursday's forecast will be a stiff breeze, blowing out of the west at around 20 mph. This "blast furnace" wind is helping to pump heat into New Jersey. But at least it will also keep that hot air moving around. At the same time, such a strong land breeze usually means mainland beaches will be toasty, with temperatures well in the 80s. Only barrier islands, surrounded by water, will enjoy a cooling effect from the cool ocean/bay water.

Additionally, an Air Quality Alert (Code Orange) has been issued for most of New Jersey on Thursday. Concentrations of both ground-level ozone (due to the heat) and fine particulates (due to Canadian wildfire smoke in the upper atmosphere) will be elevated. So those especially sensitive to poor air quality — the very young, the very old, and those with preexisting heart and lungh issues — should stay indoors as much as possible.

As dinnertime rolls around and temperatures start to cool, there is a short window of opportunity for a popup thunderstorm. Fueled by the heat and humidity, a weak disturbance will be in the neighborhood of northern New Jersey, and could be enough to spark a brief shower or storm. Most of the state will stay dry Thursday evening. Expect a few clouds overhead, with lows again averaging mid 60s around the state.

Friday NJ weather: Unsettled, but OK

As high pressure departs and a slow-moving frontal complex inches closer, cloud cover will increase significantly on Friday. Skies will become partly sunny and then mostly cloudy in quick order.

Friday should still be warm, with high temperatures on either side of 80 degrees. Humidity will still be up there too. The breeze will be lighter, blowing from the east this time around.

Most of Friday looks dry, but rain chances will be on the rise by late afternoon. The best chance of showers and thunderstorms will come Friday night.

Once scattered rain does move in, I don't see anything too crazy. There is a possibility of gusty winds, small hail, and localized downpours — but anything organized seems unlikely.

Saturday NJ weather: Occasional showers

Here comes another weekend! Father's Day Weekend! It's the last weekend of Spring!

And just like almost every other weekend this spring, we have raindrops in the forecast. I supposed the forecast has trended downhill a little bit here. But I'm trying to maintain a brave face and stay optimistic, focusing on the multitude of hours it will be dry across New Jersey.

It looks like everyone in New Jersey will get wet once or twice on Saturday. The best chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms looks to be early (before 10 a.m.) and late (after 5 p.m.).

In the middle, you will find lots of clouds, sticky humidity, and high temperatures in the lower 70s or so. Worth noting: Some forecast models keep NJ's temperatures in the 50s and 60s this weekend, so your mileage may vary depending on location, rainfall spread, and cloud cover.

So Saturday is not a washout. But it will be a "blah" day overall.

Sunday NJ weather: Clouds and a few more showers

Model guidance has been flip-flopping about which weekend day, Saturday, or Sunday will be wetter and more dismal. At the moment, Sunday is trending drier, with just a few isolated showers sprinkled across New Jersey throughout the day.

However, Sunday will remain quite cloudy. And on the cool side of normal, with highs again in the 70s at best.

By the end of the weekend, total rainfall will probably end up around a half-inch for most of the state. Over an inch of rain is possible in places that experience a brief downpour at some point.

Monday NJ weather: The most 'blah' day of all

The stalled frontal boundary and on-shore flow continues for Monday, keeping skies gray and temperatures down. Scattered rain is possible too, especially around the morning and midday hours.

Highs will only reach about 70 degrees, give or take.

Clearer skies and warming temperatures will take over through the middle of next week. We should be back in the widespread 80s by about Wednesday

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