Forecasters: Weekend will be sunny, comfortable at the shore

After a few unsettled days, Saturday and Sunday will be pleasant at the Jersey Shore, forecasters say. 

Both days will feature sunny skies and high temperatures in the lower to middle 70s at the shore, according to the latest NOAA forecast. Temperatures will reach the lower to middle 80s inland. 

The calm weather will be a reward for enduring a few days of stormy weather.

Forecasters say there’s a chance of thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours Wednesday. By Thursday, a series of cold fronts will slowly move through the area, likely producing periods of heavy rain. The cold front could then interact with a tropical system, Arthur, that is expected to pass well offshore late Friday into early Saturday. 

The wild card is how the cold fronts interact with moisture from Arthur, according to a weather briefing issued by the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, NJ early Tuesday evening. 

“Tropical moisture moving north ahead of Arthur is expected to interact with these boundaries, producing showers and thunderstorms, mainly Thursday afternoon into early Friday. The Thursday into Friday time frame looks to be the best chance of seeing heavy rain. This is before Arthur passes by,” the briefing advises.

It continues: “Arthur may interact with the aforementioned cold fronts and could lead to an enhanced heavy rain threat on Friday. However, due to the current track, this threat appears to have lessened at this time.”

Also dependent on Arthur’s track are wind and tide impacts, according to the briefing.

Regardless of the final track, ocean swimming will be hazardous for days. 

“Rip currents will also be a major threat throughout the July 4th holiday weekend, even though after Friday, the rest of the weekend looks quite nice,” the briefing advises.