NJ weather: Somewhat calmer and not as ferociously hot Tuesday

As the headline of this forecast suggests, Tuesday won't be quite as stormy or steamy as the past two days. But we still have three more days before real relief from heat, humidity, and thunderstorms will arrive.

Monday's thunderstorms were actually sparked by a weak cold front. Our new air mass is slightly cooler, and not much drier — so it's still going to be a very warm, sticky day. Tuesday morning temperatures are mostly in the 70s, and we'll top out between 85 and 90 degrees Tuesday afternoon. Skies will range from partly to mostly cloudy — I suspect the Jersey Shore will have the thickest clouds as the day presses on.

A Heat Advisory continues for the Philadelphia metro area, including Mercer, NW Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties. The heat index (or "feels like" or "apparent" temperature) may reach 98 degrees during the heat of the day.

We'll be on the lookout for popup showers and thunderstorms again Tuesday, but they should remain isolated — in other words, most of NJ will stay dry. While a strong storm or localized downpour is possible, I do not expect widespread severe weather. Most likely timing of raindrops will be from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Most likely location of a stray storm will be along the southern and western edges of New Jersey.

I'll keep a shower chance in the forecast for Tuesday night. Another muggy night, low temps will only dip into the lower 70s yet again.

Wednesday looks like a pretty active weather day, with three distinct headlines:
1.) Wednesday morning... A batch of rain will clip the northern half of NJ through the first half of the day.
2.) Wednesday afternoon... Another hot, humid day with highs temperatures in the upper 80s to around 90 degrees.
3.) Wednesday evening... Strong thunderstorms will likely impact the entire state.

Looking ahead:

High temperatures on Friday will be limited to the mid to upper 70s. What a difference!

The refreshing and dry weather should carry into the final full weekend of August too. High temperatures for Saturday and Sunday will be closer to 80 degrees with abundant sunshine. That kind of forecast gets a big thumbs up!

We may cool down even more on Monday as a backdoor cold front enhances our on-shore flow and delivers an isolated shower. Honestly, the rest of August looks mainly dry and pleasant — two more thumbs up!

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