HEAT ALERT: Sunny, hot and humid with a few late day storms in New Jersey

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There is an air quality alert in effect for parts of New Jersey today as we have pollutants in the air due to the heat and humidity. There are also small concentrations of near-surface wildfire smoke wafting across the country from fires on the Pacific Northwest. There is a heat advisory in effect for parts of New Jersey as well for the high heat and humidity creating feel like temperatures near 100 degrees. The heat and humidity doesn't break as we finish the week and go through the weekend. There are chances for rogue afternoon or evening thunderstorms, but they will not be widespread for the near term. They are random and will only last 30-40 minutes at a time. They are not associated with any weather front, hence why they are random and stray. This same pattern continues into the weekend. Most of the daytime period is dry despite it being hot and humid, so this is good for anyone with outdoor plans. However, it is important to stay safe, hydrated, and cool. The air quality is reduced mostly because of the heat and humidity interacting with normal pollutants in the air, creating a stagnant environment that could make it challenging to breathe in for sensitive groups of people with existing respiratory or health conditions. This heat wave will be the fourth heat wave of this summer season, and we will continue to experience high temperatures into next week.

TROPICAL UPDATE

We are still monitoring a cluster of thunderstorms hugging the northern Caribbean. It is not an organized development yet, but it is likely to develop once the tropical wave moves over the Bahamas and Florida. It's likely to form somewhere over the west coast of Florida into Monday/Tuesday with current trends. This lowers the threat and impact to New Jersey's coast. "