NJ Weather: Thunderstorm, Fog, Rip Currents In Monday Forecast

NEW JERSEY - Thunderstorms expected Monday are slated to end a dry spell across the Garden State, officials said.

In New Jersey, the western half of the state is slated to see the highest rainfall totals, ranging between half an inch to an inch of accumulation from Sussex to Salem counties. Other areas, including those by the Jersey Shore, are set to see between a tenth to a half an inch of accumulation.

“It still looks like Monday will be the highest chance for rain that our area has seen in quite a while,” National Weather Service Station Mount Holly said in a Monday statement. “Isolated showers [are] possible in the morning, but higher chances for storms are after noon.

Scattered showers are set to arrive in the state before mid-afternoon, with thunderstorms to start between 2 and 3 p.m. Showers and thunderstorms are expected through the night until around 2 a.m. Showers are slated to diminish by the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

The rainfall today will be welcome to many since it's been rather dry lately. Here is our rainfall forecast for today and tonight. pic.twitter.com/2PZzKTW4gg
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) June 12, 2023

As of 7 a.m. Monday, 12 counties are under a hazardous weather outlook until Monday night due to the possibility of scattered severe thunderstorms. Areas of fog, some dense, are possible, as well as rip currents. The affected counties are:

• Cape May
• Atlantic
• Monmouth
• Salem
• Gloucester
• Cumberland
• Ocean
• Passaic
• Bergen
• Hudson
• Essex
• Union

A majority of New Jersey counties are experiencing “abnormally dry” conditions due to insufficient precipitation in the area, according to the University of Nebraska - Lincoln’s Drought Monitor. The westernmost areas of Salem and Gloucester counties hugging Pennsylvania are in a “moderate drought,” according to the database.

New Jersey isn't the only state experiencing drier than usual conditions: most states in the northeast, midwest, southwest and upper northwest received less rain last month than in previous years on average, according to Climate.gov.

"Over the last few weeks, especially across the western half of the Northeast, streamflows and soil moisture are very low, amid unusually hot temperatures and high evaporative demand for this time of year," drought monitor researchers at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln wrote. "As a result, drought and abnormal dryness expanded across much of the western half of the region, especially from western New Jersey through Pennsylvania and New York."

Here’s the latest forecast, per the National Weather Service:

North Jersey

Monday: Scattered showers before 2 p.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2 and 3 p.m., then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 3 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. Southeast wind 7 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly before 2 a.m., then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m. Low around 62. Southeast wind 7 to 11 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 78. West wind around 11 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. West wind 6 to 10 mph.

South Jersey

Monday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. High near 81. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Monday Night: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2 a.m. Patchy fog. Low around 57. South wind around 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tuesday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 79. West wind 10 to 15 mph.

Tuesday Night: A slight chance of showers after 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.