Storm System in Mid-Atlantic still far enough south to keep rain away from Garden State; Severe Weather Possible on Thursday

During the course of the day on Monday, weather conditions became more cloudy, windy, and cooler here in the northern portions of Middlesex County as well as the rest of the Garden State. The the dark grey clouds hovering closer to the ground along with some peeks of blue sky and sun made for a dramatic look to the skies over the Raritan Center section of Edison, New Jersey during the mid to late afternoon. Nevertheless, the rain is staying to the south of our area. The bulk of the precipitation is spinning from North Carolina to Delaware.

Due to the cloud cover and gusty winds, temperatures and dew points have been down. The high temperature at Greg’s Weather Center in South Plainfield, New Jersey only reached 75 after a high of 78 on Sunday. At the time of this report, the thermometer at GWC read 71 degrees.

The dew point has been ranging from the mid 50s to mid 60s with the higher dew points in the range occurring in the morning. Winds have been on the increase with sustained winds around 5 mph, and gusts up to 10 mph. The forecast from the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly had indicated showers for Monday into Tuesday, but now it appears that conditions will stay dry.

The next chance of rain is expected on Thursday when a cold front is expected to push through the Garden State. Prior to the front’s arrival, temperatures are expected to climb into the mid to upper 80s. After the front passes through though, temperatures are expected to drop significantly with highs only reaching the low 70s at best on Friday and Saturday.

The dramatic change had been indicated on the GWC and Hurricaneville Facebook page over the past week or so. With the dramatic shift expected, the chance of severe weather is increasing. Strong to severe storms are possible ahead of the front in Delaware, Southeastern New York, New Jersey, and Eastern Pennsylvania on Thursday.