One more gorgeous day for NJ, before unsettled weather returns

The Bottom Line

What a weekend of weather, huh? I loved Saturday — the refreshing breeze combined with sunshine and 70s. And then Mother's Day Sunday was spectacularly summerlike, with many temperatures reaching the 80s.

We will squeeze out one more pleasant day, before we fall back into an unsettled weather pattern. Each day from Tuesday through Saturday has a rain chance in the forecast. However, to be clear, most of that rainfall activity will be spotty, occasional, and/or hit-or-miss. That means making go/no-go decisions for outdoor activities will need to be a last-minute, gametime decision.

By the end of the week, total rainfall will probably end up between one and two inches for most of the state. Healthy, but not really heavy.

The wettest day of the week actually looks to be Tuesday.

Monday

No real complaints to be found Monday. There will be some subtle changes, compared to the weekend. But it will be another very nice May day all around the state.

It is fairly cool Monday morning, as temperatures have dipped into the 40s and 50s overnight. Highs Monday afternoon will reach the upper 70s to around 80 degrees.

High clouds will gradually increase and thicken as the day goes on. That means the morning sky will be brighter than the afternoon sky.

We will stay completely dry. A light breeze will blow from the ocean.

Monday evening looks good too. Skies will be mostly cloudy overnight, with lows around 60. Showers may creep in from the southwest between Midnight and daybreak Tuesday morning.

Tuesday

Umbrellas up again! Everyone in New Jersey will get wet Tuesday.

But I do not want to call the day a total washout. Periods of persistent but light rain are expected throughout the day. We're talking about a quarter-inch to half-inch of total rainfall during the day — that's not much.

It will be damp and dreary, cloudy and cool. High temperatures will get stuck in the below-normal 60s.

If a pocket of heavier rain and/or spotty thunderstorms develop, it would be late Tuesday. Especially into the evening hours. Those could produce some localized downpours and elevated winds.

Wednesday

Wednesday will look similar to Tuesday, in terms of the clouds and cool-ish temperatures. But there will be fewer raindrops falling over New Jersey.

Latest model guidance suggests New Jersey will see some spotty showers Wednesday morning, and then a chance for some thunderstorms starting late afternoon. Through the middle of the day, it will be breezy with lots of clouds.

Thursday

Thursday will be different. Peeks of sun will push high temperatures back into the 70s. The air will feel a bit sticky too, as humidity levels rise to the moderate range.

The rising heat and humidity will yield a more unstable atmosphere. And that means thunderstorms. They will be isolated to spotty at best, but may approach strong or severe limits.

As I said, this forecast is not totally bad — if you can avoid those raindrops, it will be a reasonably pleasant summerlike day.

Friday & Beyond

Friday will be similar to Thursday. Warm, approaching 80 degrees, with a round of scattered thunderstorms possible.

And the one more time on Saturday, a few showers and thunderstorms may interrupt the daytime hours. Temperatures will be toasty, well in the 70s (at least).

A cold front is forecast to arrive early Sunday morning, sweeping out the humidity and putting an end to daily rain chances. As long as it does not get too cool, early next week could be another string of nice weather days.