Thunderstorms, Heatwave, Perseid Meteor Shower Peak: This Week's Weather In N.J.

What does Mother Nature have on tap for us this week? The second week of August will bring another heat wave, a chance of thunderstorms and the Perseid meteor shower peak.

Let's start with the heat first: "multiple days" of "excessive heat" are possible later in the week across New Jersey, the National Weather Service says. Specifically, make a date with your air conditioner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On those days, heat index values could exceed 100 degrees, the National Weather Service predicts.

But first, expect some thunderstorms midweek. There is a chance of thunderstorms on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Hopefully that won't get in the way of the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks this Thursday and Friday. This year, the Perseids are poised to offer a double feature due to what NASA calls an “outburst effect.”

“Under perfect conditions, rates could soar to 200 meteors an hour,” Bill Cook, who leads NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office in Huntsville, Alabama, said in a statement. “Under perfect conditions, rates could soar to 200 meteors per hour.”

Every Perseid meteor is actually a tiny piece of debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle which disintegrate in flashes of light when they hit the Earth’s atmosphere. They’re called Perseids because they seem to originate from the constellation Perseus.

Will the skies be clear for viewing? Here's the forecast:

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. East wind 3 to 6 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 64. South wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 71. South wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 9am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. South wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 9am. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Image: John Fowler via Flickr / Creative Commons