The Garden State will finally enjoy a sunny, warm, dry day Friday but it won't last long, as steady rain pushes through the state on Saturday.

Here are your weather headlines for Friday, May 20, 2016...

Practically Perfect Friday

It's about time! Unlike the month of May so far, I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Friday's weather forecast for New Jersey. As high pressure moves across the Northeast U.S. we will enjoy sunshine and blue skies, dry weather, light winds, and warm temperatures. Friday's highs should mostly climb into the mid 70s, just above normal for mid-to-late May. Would I be surprised to see some thermometers climb into the upper 70s to around 80 degrees today? Nope!

Clouds will start to increase by the late afternoon and evening hours. We should stay dry through about 5 a.m. Saturday.

Soggy Weekend

Unfortunately, the lovely weather won't last long. An area of low pressure will track just south of New Jersey on Saturday, bringing some healthy rainfall along the way.

There's still some uncertainty regarding how far north the biggest rainfall totals will drift. The very heaviest rain will probably stay south of New Jersey. But I think our rain will be steady to heavy at times on Saturday, particularly in South Jersey and along the Jersey Shore. Rain gauges there may pick up an inch or two of rain by Saturday evening.

North Jersey and Central Jersey, that doesn't mean you're out of the woods and it certainly does not mean you're going to see a dry Saturday. Everyone in the state is prone to see rain - it's just that the best chance for a washout will be across the southern half of New Jersey. The combination of clouds and rain will limit high temperatures to the lower to mid 60s, at best.

Sunday will be nowhere near as wet as Saturday, but scattered showers will be possible. While we might see a peek or two of sunshine, clouds will dominate the sky. Regardless, temperatures will actually recover a bit, topping out around the 70 degree mark to close out the weekend.

Next Week

The early part of next week will remain unsettled, with abundant cloud cover and a few showers and thunderstorms possible each day. Monday will be mostly cloudy, with highs holding steady around 70 degrees. Tuesday looks to feature a bit more sun, with highs potentially bumping into the lower 70s.

The big transition will come by Wednesday. As winds turn southwesterly and skies become sunny, warm air advection will kick temperatures up to around the 80 degree mark on Wednesday and Thursday. Perfect timing for the warmth, considering the Memorial Day Weekend is right around the corner!

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

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