The Bottom Line

Can you believe there is only one week to go until September? For this last week of August, temperatures will continue to run at or above normal. Humidity will become a theme too.

Thursday will be a dry day, with relatively low humidity. Then the chance for spotty thunderstorms will return on Friday. And the weekend too. But just like every other rain chance in NJ this summer, those storms will be hit or miss. And may produce some heavy rain.

Stormy weather is not going to be an all-day or all-state thing. It will be a "eyes on the sky" kind of situation through the upcoming weekend.

Thursday

There will be some subtle changes. But in general, if you liked Wednesday's weather, you'll like Thursday too.

Thursday morning looks great. We're starting with temperatures mainly in the 60s. Near 70 for cities and coast. We'll enjoy bright sunshine for the first half of the day.

Eventually, some clouds will start to bubble up from the south Thursday afternoon.

High temperatures will reach about 90 degrees. (That will make it an official "Jersey heat wave" — the third 90+ day in a row.) The Shore will be cooler, thanks to a sea breeze, closer to 80 degrees.

I do have to add the chance of a sprinkle to the forecast Thursday evening, but only for southern and coastal New Jersey. The rest of Thursday night will be mostly cloudy. And noticeably stickier, as low temperatures only dip into the lower 70s.

Friday

Hot, slightly more humid, and more unsettled too.

First of all, Friday will be partly sunny, breezy at times, and hot. High temperatures will once again soar to 90 degrees. (And with that southwesterly breeze, mainland beaches will probably be hot too.)

Thunderstorm chances ramp up again on Friday too. But it will not be an all-day thing. Nor will everyone in NJ necessarily see a storm — I'm calling it "spotty" to "scattered".

There could be some early convection around New Jersey from mid-morning through midday. Primetime for pockets of heavy rain and possibly some gusty winds would be late-day. (And that will be pretty much statewide.)

Storms will be hit or miss. So it's not a "cancel your plans" kind of situation. Friday will be an "eyes on the sky" day.

Saturday

Saturday reads very similarly to Friday. Slightly higher humidity. Slightly lower temperatures. And I'm leaning toward a slightly lower chance of storms.

We still could see some popup thunderstorms in the late afternoon and evening time frame. Once again, localized downpours are on the table.

Most of Saturday will be dry, with periods of sun and clouds. High temperatures will shoot for the mid 80s — just a hair above normal for late August.

Sunday

The atmosphere should simmer down a bit for the second half of the weekend, leading to a pleasant summer day. Skies will range from partly sunny to mostly cloudy. And high temperatures will once again hover in the mid 80s.

I can't rule out an afternoon shower on Sunday. But it looks isolated at best.

The Extended Forecast

Monday is trending dry. With more clouds than sun, we'll see high temps in the steamy upper 80s.

The middle of next week gets interesting, as a strong cold front approaches from the northwest. That will introduce another chance for scattered rain. (No drought-busting soakers though.)

And then, by late week, we could taste some cooler, drier air. Highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s to start September? That is downright autumnal!

If all goes well, temperatures should warm up again just in time for the Labor Day Weekend.

Still no immediate concerns in the tropics — just a couple of tropical waves being monitored for development.

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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