Just a few stray showers today, but strong thunderstorms possible tomorrow

Thursday looks mostly dry with isolated areas of drizzle and showers, and this wet week ends with thunderstorms on Friday.

Here are your weather headlines for Thursday, April 9, 2015...

Mostly Dry Today

We started out this Thursday morning with areas of fog and drizzle. And a few more stray showers will be possible throughout the day. Regardless of the continuing rain chance, I’m fairly confident that New Jersey’s weather picture will remain mostly dry today. Having said that, it will still feel damp and dreary with mostly cloudy to overcast skies. And once again, temperatures won’t go very far this afternoon, with highs in the upper 40s (10+ degrees below normal).

Bottom line... not a great day, but not a washout.

Stormy Friday

Friday morning, a warm front will push northward through New Jersey. That front is expected to drag an area of showers and drizzle through the state, as warmer air returns. Highs tomorrow should be in the upper 60s in North Jersey, around 70 for Central Jersey, and in the lower 70s for South Jersey. The combination of the warmth, a few peeks of sunshine, and a cold front late Friday will contribute to one more round of rain. Showers and thunderstorms will push through the state Friday afternoon through evening.

Be aware that there may be enough instability (energy) in the atmosphere for some of those thunderstorms to be strong or even severe. The potential is certainly there for some heavy downpours, gusty winds, and even small hail. The best chance for the strongest thunderstorms will be in the southern half of the state, particularly around Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem counties. But don’t let your guard down - a few strong and potentially dangerous storms will be possible statewide Friday afternoon and evening.

Weekend Outstanding

All week long, I’ve promised you drier, clearer, and much more pleasant for the weather... and it still looks like that forecast is going to come true!

Our final raindrops of the week will fall somewhere between 11 p.m. Friday night and 2 a.m. Saturday morning. Skies will be clearing already by sunrise Saturday, although I do expect a few clouds to stick around for at least part of the Saturday daytime. I also expect a brisk northwest wind on Saturday, potentially gusting over 20 mph. Don’t let either of those weather items get in your way, however, as Saturday will also feature dry weather with pleasant, seasonable temperatures ranging from 57° to 67° across New Jersey. (The southern half of the state will be a bit warmer than the northern half.)

Sunday looks even better, as that gusty wind dies down, skies clear even more, and temperatures warm into the 60s statewide. Outstanding!

Monday starts out mild and pleasant too. But our next rain chance enters the picture late Monday afternoon through Tuesday.