New Jersey’s next chance of rain is at least a week away

The Bottom Line

I have to admit — I feel pretty useless this week. High pressure forms a "blocking pattern" over the Northeast, keeping any and all storm threats far away. That means we have at least a week of completely dry weather ahead. With warming temperatures, low to moderate humidity levels, and plenty of sunshine.

I have a sneaking suspicion this very dry stretch of weather will end with 1.) a flash drought, or 2.) a tropical storm. We'll see...

Tuesday

Tuesday morning is about 10 degrees warmer than Monday morning, starting the day in the comfortable 50s across most of the state.

High temperatures will reach the upper 70s to around 80, also a bit warmer than the day before. Sunny skies will once again meet dry air and dry weather, with a nice northwesterly breeze. Good stuff all around.

Tuesday night stays quiet and comfortable, as thermometers once again dip into the mid 50s.

Wednesday

Our slow warmup continues, as each successive day this week turns a few degrees warmer than the day before.

One change for Wednesday is a shift in wind direction, to southeasterly. That is an on-shore breeze, and will keep NJ's coastal communities cooler than inland areas. That will be the difference between 70s (coast) and around 80 (west of the Parkway).

Once again, expect mostly sunny skies and completely dry weather for Wednesday.

Thursday

Humidity may tick upward slightly by late Thursday, as dew points return to the 60s. Just a little bit of stickiness in the air.

Meanwhile, we will see sunshine and a few clouds on Thursday, with inland high temperatures around near 80 degrees.

Friday

As the remnants of Francine spread tropical moisture across the U.S., we could see some clouds and humidity invade our atmosphere from the southwest on Friday. That will likely lead to a blanket of thin clouds for most of the state — enough to call it "mostly cloudy". The farther north and east you are, the better your chance of having another blue-sky day.

Highs on Friday will creep into the lower 80s. Definitely feeling more summerish to close out the workweek.

The Weekend & Beyond

Believe it or not, this will be the final full weekend of summer. The fall equinox officially arrives next Sunday 9/22 at 8:43 a.m.

And it will be another beauty. With plentiful sunshine, temperatures will reach above-normal, easily the warmest days of the week. Look for highs in the lower to mid 80s for both Saturday and Sunday. Humidity levels may reach the moderate range, preventing overnight low temperatures from dipping below 60 degrees.

Monday stays warm and sunny. And Tuesday looks dry too.

Depending which forecast model you believe, our next rain chance could be next Tuesday night to Wednesday (GFS) OR next Saturday (Euro). Both of these bouts of wet weather would come from a coastal storm — possibly a tropical storm. However, I would not put too much faith in either solution at this point, as tropical storms are highly unpredictable beyond five days.

As always, we will be watching. And we will let you know when rain finally reenters New Jersey's forecast.