Our old nemesis – humidity – creeps back into NJ’s atmosphere

Temperatures and dew points will continue to increase through the rest of the week, with rain chances returning to the forecast by Thursday.

Both the beginning and end of this week will feel like "true summertime" in New Jersey. The difference, of course, will be the comfort level: humidity was nice and low on Monday, but the same will not be true by Friday.

Overall, Tuesday will be very similar to Monday. Temperatures will tick upward a couple of degrees, as humidity slowly builds in the atmosphere as well. Highs will climb to the mid 80s, except at the Jersey Shore which will likely see upper 70s to around 80 degrees for Tuesday afternoon. Variable cloudiness will accompany light south-southeast winds up to 15 mph.

Additionally, if your destination is the beach, be aware there is an elevated risk of rip currents along the Jersey Shore all-day Tuesday. Conditions present the highest risk along the Monmouth County coast.

Aside from a few clouds and some patchy fog, Tuesday night and Wednesday morning will be calm and uneventful. Low temperatures will be typical for mid-July, in the upper 60s to around 70 degrees.

You'll definitely notice the increase in humidity by Wednesday, as temperatures continue to cook too. Highs will climb to the mid to upper 80s - and I would not rule out a few 90-degree readings. I'm actually going for a dry, partly sunny forecast during the day Wednesday.

Early Thursday morning, we'll see a chance for a few showers and storms enter the forecast, persisting through Thursday evening. That doesn't mean it's going to rain all day, and it's probably not going to rain everywhere in New Jersey. It'll just be an unsettled day, with pockets of heavy rain possible.

In between the raindrops, Thursday afternoon looks downright hot and humid. Thermometers will climb to around 90 degrees away from the ocean. The heat index ("feels like" or "apparent" temperature) will probably climb to the upper 90s for at least part of the state. I'll hold back from calling it truly "dangerous" heat - but it'll be close.

Friday will be steamy too, with widespread high temperatures in the lower 90s, and high humidity once again pushing the heat index close to 100 degrees. While I can't rule out a shower or thunderstorm, the latest information shows a dry day for Friday.

The early look at the upcoming weekend isn't perfect. Showers and thunderstorms are possible on Saturday, possibly including pockets of very heavy rain. If we have any hope for a dry day this weekend, it will be Sunday. In fact, if this forecast holds, Sunday may be a shining star of a summer day.

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