One more day of near-record, summerlike warmth for NJ

The Bottom Line

Fall foliage season is fully underway, with much of New Jersey now starting to peak. There are lots of brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges on the trees right now. Soak in the color while you can — you know those leaves will turn brown and dead soon enough.

Monday was an absurdly warm, summerlike day across New Jersey. Temperatures soared as high as 84 degrees — which tied the record high at the Newark Airport weather station, last set in 1947.

Tuesday will be very similar — spectacular sunshine, dry air and weather, and near-record high temperatures back in the 80s for most.

We do have a cooldown coming up. More accurately, I am calling it a "temperature correction" as it will finally feel like late October around here.

There are two minor rain chances coming up, spotty showers Thursday morning and an isolated sprinkle Saturday morning. While that may break NJ's consecutive streak of dry weather days, those raindrops will do little to alleviate our drought and wildfire concerns.

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Tuesday

Tuesday could actually be a touch warmer than Monday, the grand finale of this stretch of warm, late-summer-ish weather.

Temperatures are starting the day mainly in the 50s, with some pockets of 40s around. Quite comfortable — you may very well be able to ditch the jacket for the day.

High temperatures Tuesday afternoon are forecast to reach the lower 80s once again. That is upwards of 20 degrees above normal for this time of year.

It will be sunny and dry.

Even though the air is still quite dry, humidity levels will tick up ever so slightly Tuesday. That will reduce the overall fire danger. (Again, ever so slightly.) It will also reduce the nuisances of chapped lips, dry skin, staticky hair, and unquenchable thirst.

Tuesday night will remain clear and comfortable, with low temperatures averaging mid 50s.

Wednesday

Wednesday will still be mostly sunny. Wednesday will still be dry. And Wednesday will still be warm — just not as warm as Tuesday.

High temperatures will take a step downward to the mid 70s. Still a beautiful day.

Thursday

Thursday will be a big transition day for New Jersey, as a cold front slides through the state in the morning hours.

A few rain showers are possible early on Thursday, especially to the north. We are not talking about anything heavy or prolonged or widespread here. Mayne a quarter-inch of total rainfall, if you're lucky.

Meanwhile, early clouds will give way to afternoon sun.

Thursday will turn breezy and cooler. Possibly even bordering on "blustery" for a time. High temperatures will scale back to the lower 60s. That is pretty typical for late October.

Friday

Friday morning could be the first frost in almost a week, especially around the coldest corners of New Jersey.

Then I think it is fair to call Friday a pleasant October day. Gorgeous sunshine, totally dry weather, and seasonable high temperatures in the lower to mid 60s.

The Weekend & Beyond

The final weekend of October will bring another burst of chilly air.

Saturday looks OK. It will be a mostly cloudy day, and possibly a bit windy. (Top gusts over 20 mph.) While there is a chance of a shower in the early morning hours, it currently looks like an isolated sprinkle at best. Saturday's high temperatures should reach into the lower 70s for most of the state.

Then Sunday will be sunny, but cool. Highs will only reach about 60 degrees. Back to below-normal.

Next week's temperatures will probably be a bit roller-coaster-ish. Models have waffled on what Halloween looks like — mild vs. warm, dry vs. showery. We will be watching that trick-or-treat forecast very carefully, of course. The big day is only 9 days away.

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