We may have a general idea of what a drought is, but did you know it does not exclusively mean there's a rain deficit?

A moderate drought occurrence could become apparent even during a surplus rainfall amount, as seen in New Jersey where we have 1.76 inches. And that's how we outline Mercer County, Trenton and portion of Interstate 95 specifically. The extreme heat, high humidity with the ongoing third heatwave of the summer season has not helped to retain ground water levels.

Additionally, long period of rain is necessary to undo the abnormally dry and moderate drought levels found across the Garden State. Thankfully this week, the heat busting summer-like pattern will return Wednesday with strong to severe thunderstorms that could positively impact overall dryness.

Another silver lining is our forecast, we sail into Thursday back to seasonal high temperatures, near 87 degrees and a "refreshing" 84 for Friday. Towards July 25, our precipitation trend is on the slightly wetter range - a welcomed sight and possibly a way out of drought.