Wednesday's forecast played out pretty much according to schedule. It was certainly a humid and unsettled day, with clouds and showers dotting the state. The arrival of our cold front late Wednesday night drove some loud thunderstorms into northwestern New Jersey, with a few reports of branches and trees down. We got lucky — a possible tornado touched down in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, just 50 miles west of New Jersey.

As of this writing, the rain and storms have fizzled, and drier air is working through the Garden State. It's going to remain somewhat muggy for early Thursday morning. But as dew points plummet into the 50s, our air will dry out and become quite comfortable. We'll enjoy sunny skies and a strong breeze over 20 mph at times. High temperatures will push into the lower to mid 80s for almost the entire state Thursday afternoon. Along the Jersey Shore, even the beaches will be warm and toasty, as the land breeze overtakes any sea breeze throughout the day.

Thursday night looks quite comfortable as well, as overnight low temperatures dip to around 60 degrees. That's "par for the course" for mid-June.

A shift to northerly winds will make Friday slightly cooler than Thursday, with most high temperatures reaching the upper 70s to around 80 degrees. Still seasonable, still warm, still pleasant. More importantly, as the brisk wind calms down by Friday afternoon, the sea breeze will keep coastal communities a bit cooler, closer to 70 degrees. Skies will range from sunny in the morning, to partly sunny in the afternoon.

Overall, the Father's Day weekend is also looking pleasantly summerlike, especially as humidity levels will stay manageable. I stand by my previous statement that beaches and pools will be incredibly popular.

On Saturday, skies will progress from sun to clouds throughout the day. High temperatures are forecast to bump into the lower to mid 80s away from the oceanfront. Additionally, a few forecast models suggest a weak storm system will pass right along the western periphery of New Jersey in the neighborhood of Saturday evening — so I can't guarantee a completely dry day, but this rain chance is far from a slam dunk.

Sunday gets even warmer, as thermometers push closer to 90 degrees for inland New Jersey. It appears skies will be mostly cloudy, although that descriptor still leaves the door open for a few breaks of sun. Dew points will creep upward to around 60, but that's still pretty comfortable, given the very warm temps.

And then along comes Monday, which is likely to become the hottest day of the year so far. My forecast calls for high temperatures between 88 and 98 degrees for most of the state (80s at the beaches). I've seen models throw out numbers as high as 101! Clouds and an isolated shower or thunderstorm will be your only relief from the sultry conditions.

A third day of potential 90+ degree temperatures on Tuesday might mark our first heat wave of the year for part of the state. (You'll recall the definition of a heat wave requires three consecutive days of 90+.) Our next storm system and chance of rain will be Tuesday into Wednesday and, given the heat and humidity in our atmosphere, we'll have to be vigilant to the chance for severe weather.

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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