NJ faces heat, heavy rain before holiday weekend

New Jersey faces a day of extreme heat and humidity and then the effects of Tropical Storm Arthur before a return to sunshine for most of the long weekend.

A satellite view of Tropical Storm Arthur off the Florida coast on Wednesday morning. (NHC)

A Heat Advisory is in effect Wednesday for much of south and central Jersey including Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counites from noon to 8 p.m. as temperatures climb to the the mid-90s with a dew point in the 70s making for a heat index of 102 degrees.

Meteorologist Alan Kasper says the heat will be dangerous for anyone spending time outside, especially the young and the elderly and could lead to heat illnesses. He says there is a good chance of showers and strong thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon into the evening as the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has New Jersey and the northeast at "slight risk" for storms with damaging winds and occasional hail along with heavy downpours.

The heat will give way on Thursday to the effects of Tropical Storm Arthur and a series of cold front boundries. "The interaction between those two is what's going to give us the impact for showers and thunderstorms into Friday," explains National Weather Service observing program leader James Bunker.

Arthur formed Tuesday off the Florida coast where a tropical storm watch is in effect from Fort Pierce to Flagler Beach. The storm was centered about 100 miles east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, early Wednesday and was moving north near 6 mph. with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.

An updated NWS brief on Arthur expects the most rain to fall Thursday afternoon into early Friday. As much as 1-3 inches of rain could fall from the slow moving storms with the highest amounts where they stall.

Kasper expects Arthur to strengthen into a hurricane on Wednesday and continue its trek up the coast before turning toward the north off the Outer Banks of North Carolina staying well to the south of New Jersey on Friday with "minimal impact" for the Jersey Shore.

Both Saturday and Sunday will be sunny with temperatures in the 80s. The only lingering effect of the storm will be a high risk of rip currents for the entire weekend.

Get the latest information on the tropical weather texting WEATHER to 89000.