Latest Temperatures

Current Dew Point

Latest Wind Speeds

Wind Gusts

Top Story

Ice boating on the Navesink River (Monmouth County) on January 24th.
Ice boating on the Navesink River (Monmouth County) on January 24th. According to boaters, this was the first time conditions allowed for ice boating since 2018.

The first month of 2025 was cold, dry, and windy. It was the coldest January since 2014, one of the driest of the past 131 years, dew points dropped below zero or into the single digits on 23 days, and winds gusted to 40 mph or higher on 16 days. No doubt, a profitable outcome for those in the lip balm business!

Statewide, precipitation (rain and melted snow) averaged 0.89”. This was 2.60” below the 1991–2020 normal and ranked as the 3rd driest since records commenced in 1895. Quite a difference from last year, when January 2024 came in with 6.20”, the 7th greatest total on record. While quite meager, the northern and southeastern areas received the most precipitation, with the northern coast and southwest catching the least. The northern climate division reported 0.81” (-2.69”, 4th driest), the southern division 0.99” (-2.48”, 3rd driest), and the coastal division 0.98” (-2.53”, 3rd driest).

The statewide average monthly temperature of 28.3° was 3.4° below normal, ranking as the 45th coldest of the past 131 years. The average high of 36.4° was 3.9° below normal and ranks 44th coldest. The average low of 20.1° was 3.1° below normal and ranks 50th coldest. The northern division averaged 26.0° (-2.9°, 53rd coldest), the southern division 29.6° (-3.8°, 42nd coldest), and the coastal division 30.7° (-3.7°, 44th coldest).

Latest Extremes

City, State Temp
Atlantic City Marina, NJ 34
Harvey Cedars, NJ 34
Seaside Heights, NJ 34
Fortescue, NJ 34
West Cape May, NJ 34
City, State Temp
High Point Monument, NJ 21
High Point, NJ 24
Basking Ridge, NJ 24
Vernon Twp., NJ 24
Wantage, NJ 25
most current information as of Feb 10 4:15 AM

Latest Conditions & Forecast

New Brunswick, NJ

Rutgers University Meteorology Program

31°F

Wind

1 mph from the W

Wind Gust

4 mph from the N

Mostly Cloudy
27 °F
Sunny
37 °F
Partly Cloudy
22 °F
Mostly Cloudy then Slight Chance Snow
35 °F
Snow
27 °F
Chance Snow
35 °F
Wintry Mix
31 °F
Rain then Chance Rain
43 °F
Partly Cloudy
24 °F
Sunny
36 °F
Mostly Cloudy
22 °F
Chance Snow then Rain/Snow Likely
39 °F
Rain
34 °F
Rain
44 °F

Overnight

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Monday

Sunny, with a high near 37. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Tuesday

A slight chance of snow after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday Night

Snow. Low around 27. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Wednesday

A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Wednesday Night

Snow and sleet before 4am, then rain. Low around 31. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Thursday

Rain, mainly before 7am. High near 43. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 24.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 36.

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22.

Saturday

Rain and snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday Night

Rain. Low around 34. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday

Rain. High near 44. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Search by zipcode or city/state for the latest conditions, forecasts, graphs, maps and more nearest to you.

More News

A truck splashes a puddle on Route 46 in Ridgefield Park (Bergen County) on December 9th, 2024. December helped ameliorate drought conditions, but not eliminate it. Photo by Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com

The theme of “pressure” was selected to define the last month of 2024. In an absolute sense, this refers to a mid-December period with the highest atmospheric pressure recorded in New Jersey in over 40 years. It can also be linked with pressure differentials over the course of the month that resulted in many windy days. In a relative sense, it refers to the need to recoup the substantial precipitation deficit for the second half of the year in hopes that water resources will rebound, and by spring, drought will not be of great concern. Some progress in that direction was made from late...

A dry Oak Ridge Reservoir (Morris County) on October 24th, 2024, revealing a "ghost bridge" that had been used by stagecoaches on the original roadbed of the Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike. Photo by Andre Malok/NJ.com.

For the 16th consecutive year, we in the state climate office have evaluated the myriad daily, monthly, and annual observations gathered across New Jersey during the course of the year to choose what we feel were the most significant and impactful 10 weather and climate events of 2024. More about each event can be found in the monthly narratives posted on our website. You might be tempted to rearrange the rankings, particularly as some of the events on the list may have affected you more than others ranked higher. Or perhaps you best recall one that didn't make the list. That's the...

High Point Monument (Sussex County) on the morning of November 22nd with a fresh 20.0” snowfall (photo courtesy of Shawn Viggiano).

Following a remarkably dry, record-breaking October, and the two driest consecutive months on record, you had to wonder if November would have anything of note to add to a rather peculiar fall. In short, it did not disappoint. Drought continued (but it precipitated!), warmth prevailed, and a November snowfall record was established for a single storm and location. More on fall 2024 will be presented below. First, a recap of November conditions. Statewide, November precipitation (rain and melted snow) averaged 2.65”. This was 0.71” below the 1991–2020 normal and ranks as the 52nd driest...

More News

Cold and Dry (A Rarity of Late), and Quite the Transition Season: November and Fall 2019 Recaps

December 5, 2019 - 5:28pm -- Dave Robinson

Leaf bags

In what has been a monthly see-saw of an autumn in the precipitation department (more below), November totals were on the low side. The statewide average total of 1.83” was 1.78” below the 1981–2010 mean. This ranked as the 22nd driest November since 1895. The northern half of the state averaged 2.31”, which is 1.55” below normal and ranks 31st driest. The south was drier at 1.54”, which is 1.91” below normal and ties with 1991 as the 18th driest. Temperature-wise it was the coldest month compared to normal since last November and, along with March, only the second below average one since then. The statewide average temperature of 41.3° was 3.9° below normal and ranks as the 27th coldest (tied with 1920 and 1955) of the past 125 Novembers. The north average 38.9°, which is 4.2° below normal and ties with six other years as the 24th coolest. The south averaged 42.6°, which is 3.8° below normal and ties with 1954 and 1972 as 27th coolest. Of late, there have been warmer and drier months compared to the norm, such as this past September and colder and wetter months including this past March. However, the last time New Jersey experienced a noteworthy dry and cold month (of any month) was November 2012 when the statewide average temperature was 3.7° below average and the precipitation 2.31” below average.

So Much for a Flash Drought: October 2019 Recap

November 6, 2019 - 2:33pm -- Dave Robinson

As the 10th month of 2019 commenced, attention was on the continuing flash drought conditions across the Garden State. Lawns had gone brown and shallow rooted trees were losing their dull-colored leaves early. By the second week of the month, the US Drought Monitor showed all of NJ to be in either abnormally dry (D0) or moderate drought (D1) status (full disclosure: my recommendations are taken under consideration by the national author of each week’s map). Several rain episodes in the first half of the month, particularly in the north, began to stall any worsening of conditions. However, it wasn’t until the last half that five events deposited an inch or more, three of them with two inches or more, at a number of locations around the state. Thus by month’s end, only portions of southwest, southeast, and central NJ were rated D0, and the remainder, as we like to say, in “D nada.” This turn to storminess didn’t come without consequences. This included localized flash and small stream flooding on occasion, several episodes of strong winds, and some minor to moderate coastal flooding. More on all of this below, but first to further summarize the month. In the precipitation department, the statewide average was 5.79”. This is 1.90” above the 1981–2010 normal and ranks as the 15th wettest dating back to 1895. North Jersey came in with an average of 6.72”, some 2.41” above normal and ranking 10th wettest. In the south, the 5.28” average was 1.65” above normal and ranks as the 20th wettest.

As if the wet month was not newsworthy enough, the statewide monthly temperature of 58.0° tied with two other years as the 9th warmest back to 1895. This is 3.5° above normal, with northern and southern portions coming in at 3.2° and 3.8° above, respectively. The 2nd was arguably the hottest October day on record, thus also the warmest for so late in the season. Meanwhile, several locations experienced the first freeze of the season on the 4th or 5th, with a more widespread frost and freeze on the 19th. Still, the month ended with only 18 of the 63 NJWxNet stations having fallen to the freezing mark.

Off Goes the Faucet: September 2019 Recap

October 7, 2019 - 5:26pm -- Mathieu Gerbush

Drought photo

No months prior to this past September have been drier across New Jersey since February 2009, a testament to how precipitation has leaned toward the wet side since the last major drought impacted the state in 2002. The 1.21” received this September was 2.84” below the 1981–2010 average. This ranked as the 7th driest September since records commenced in 1895. February 2009 saw only 0.66”, but since February is on average the driest month of the year (2.80”), the last time a monthly deficit was larger than this September was the 3.06” departure in September 2007. Since 2000, only six other months early in the century have been drier (February 2002: 0.75”, October 2000: 0.77”, March 2006: 0.82”, October 2001: 0.93”, November 2001: 1.00”, and September 2005: 1.19”).

Conditions were driest in the north, averaging 1.06”, which is 3.41” below normal and ranks as the 4th driest September on record. Southern NJ ranked 12th driest with 1.30”, which is 2.52” below normal. This “flash drought” depleted soil moisture, resulting in brown lawns and shallow-rooted trees losing leaves early. Fire danger also increased, resulting in a ban on open fires. At month’s end, the US Drought Monitor had most of NJ in the D0 (abnormally dry) category, with Salem County experiencing moderate drought (D1) conditions. Thanks to above-average precipitation earlier this year, northern NJ reservoir levels remained above early-fall averages. Certainly, a watchful eye will be kept on all water resources should this dry spell continue.

Above-average temperatures helped to dry things out in September. The 69.1° statewide average was 3.3° above the 1981–2010 mean. This ranks as the 8th warmest September over the past 125 years (tied with 1921; Table 2). Southern areas were warmest, at 3.5° above normal, while the north was 2.8° above.

Leaning Warm and a Bit Dry, and Once Again, Top-Ten Warmth: August and Summer 2019 Recaps

September 6, 2019 - 2:03pm -- Dave Robinson

Flash flood photo

The summer of 2019 concluded on a warm and a bit dry note when averaged across the Garden State. The warmth was a common theme throughout June to August, while the earlier summer months were on the wet side. The average August temperature of 74.4° was 1.4° above the 1981–2010 mean and is tied with 1983 and 1973 as the 14th warmest since 1895. On 12 days, the temperature topped out at 90° or hotter at one or more Rutgers NJ Weather Network station, but never exceeded 96°. The heat was somewhat tempered by seven mornings with lows in the 40°s at some northwestern NJWxNet locations.

August precipitation averaged 3.75” across NJ. This was 0.35” below normal and ranks as the 52nd driest of the past 125 Augusts. As expected during a summer month that is dominated by hit and miss showers, rainfall totals varied quite a bit, even on a local scale. The driest location in the state was Lambertville in Hunterdon County where 1.48” fell, while the wettest was Lebanon, also in Hunterdon County, with 7.99”. When and where the storms struck, they were, at times, intense. This included small tornadoes and more widespread strong winds, dangerous lightning, and flash flooding.

Exploring NJWxNet Soil Temperature and Water Content Observations

August 13, 2019 - 4:46pm -- Rohan Jain

Photo of Pittstown NJWxNet station

Observations of soil temperature and water content are among the many variables gathered at stations within the Rutgers NJ Weather Network (NJWxNet). While observations at 5 and 10 centimeter (cm) depths for water content have been taken at about a dozen NJWxNet stations as far back as 2003, only since 2013 have soil temperature and water content observations been taken at 5 cm, 10 cm, 20 cm, and 50 cm at currently nine stations across New Jersey. The soil and atmospheric observations at these sites provide an understanding of soil–atmosphere interactions, such as how soil conditions respond to atmospheric forcings. Soil temperature and water content also influence atmospheric conditions; however, this is exceedingly difficult if not impossible to demonstrate at individual locations. Prior to the advent of the NJWxNet, soil temperature and water content observations were almost completely lacking across NJ. This was the rule across the United States and beyond until recently when mesonets, such as the NJWxNet, began providing vital data that will continue to lead to improved short- and long-term weather and climate forecasts.

The objective of this report is to introduce the soil data being gathered at NJWxNet stations and to demonstrate the potential value of these observations to agricultural, hydrological, meteorological, engineering, and other communities. For instance, for the agricultural community, the difference between a bountiful harvest and a subpar one is quite dependent on soil conditions, not solely on what is occuring in the atmosphere. Understanding present soil conditions and analyzing past trends of soil water content and temperature can help a farmer determine when to plant, what crops to plant and, once growth commences, when to irrigate.

Mother Nature Picking on Two NJ Communities!: July 2019 Recap

August 4, 2019 - 2:30pm -- Dave Robinson

Thunderstorm wind damage in Holmdel

With 565 incorporated communities in New Jersey, one would think that the odds of multiple significant weather events specific to any one of them within a month would be exceedingly rare. Yet July 2019 brought such a duel scenario to not one but two NJ townships. Mt. Laurel (Burlington County) was visited by two tornadoes, while one rain gauge in Stafford Township (Ocean) caught 5.00” in two separate 24 hour periods. More specifics are provided later in this report. The good news is that, despite damage occurring in each of the four events, there were no fatalities nor reported injuries.

The month as a whole was a wet one, averaging 6.15” across the state. This is 1.58” above the 1981–2010 mean and ranks as the 20th wettest since 1895. Northern counties were wettest, averaging 7.20” or some 2.45” above normal and ranking 16th wettest. The south averaged 5.61”, which is 1.12” above normal and ranks 29th wettest.

Ten of the past 12 months and 15 of the past 18 months have received above-average precipitation across the state. While the 12 months ending in January this year ranks as wettest (66.61”) of 1484 such intervals dating back to 1895, the past 12 month period ending in July comes in second place with 65.74”, just ahead of the 12 months ending in June (65.50”).

Plenty Green: June 2019 Recap

July 8, 2019 - 5:04pm -- Dave Robinson

Flash flood photo

The moist and mild pattern of late spring and early summer has left the Garden State quite green. There is nothing new to this pattern, as the first six months of 2019 totaled 27.22” of rain and melted snowfall, some 4.92” above the 1981–2010 mean, and a 49.0° average temperature, which is 1.3° above average. Each of these ranks 13th highest of the past 125 years.

Even more impressive, the past 12 months have seen 10 wetter than average and 10 warmer than average. The two drier-than-average months (March and April) were closer to their 30-year mean than any of the wetter ones. The precipitation total for the past 12 months is 65.28”. This is the second wettest 12-month period on record out of all 1483 12-month periods dating back to 1895. The wettest was 66.62” for the period ending this past January. The majority of the top 20 such periods have occurred this decade. They have included the two wettest calendar years on record (2018 and 2011) and appear to have lasted longer than earlier wet intervals. Meanwhile, the warmth of the past 12 months (54.5°) would rank as the 9th warmest calendar year but not within the top 20 for any 12-month period.

Frequently Wet: May and Spring 2019 Recaps

June 5, 2019 - 11:08pm -- Dave Robinson

Stanhope tornado damage

As was seen earlier this spring, rainfall was quite persistent during a good portion of May. However, unlike April, it was not just a matter of frequency but ultimately, quantity that made for soggy conditions in the fifth month of 2019. The statewide average precipitation was 6.70”, which is 2.71” above the 1981–2010 mean. This made for the 9th wettest May since records commenced in 1895. The northern half of NJ was wettest, averaging 8.69” (+4.35”), making it the 3rd wettest on record. Only May 1989 (10.13”) and 1984 (9.79”) saw more rain. The south averaged 5.52” (+1.72”), ranking 17th wettest.

Based on observations from 62 NJWxNet stations, there were only two calendar days (22nd and 25th) without measurable (0.01”) rainfall at any location. Three days saw a maximum of 0.01”–0.10” at one or more stations, nine with a maximum between 0.11”–0.25”, and eleven topping out from 0.26”–0.99”, while on six days one or more station received an inch or greater.

The wet conditions were accompanied by above average temperatures. The 62.7° statewide average was 2.1° above the 1981–2010 mean. This ranked as the 19th mildest May on record (tied with 1985). However, it is only the 8th warmest May since 2004. Ten of the past 12 months have been above average.

NJ Warming Knows All Seasons

May 24, 2019 - 2:28pm -- Dave Robinson

Monthly Temperature Departures, Jan 2018-Apr 2019

So often over the past roughly year and a half, I have been writing about statewide monthly temperatures being among the warmest on record. In fact, February, May, August, and September 2018, as well as April 2019, have ranked as 2nd, 4th, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th warmest, respectively, since statewide averages began being generated in 1895. Throughout this century, this has so often been the case that, seemingly, it is almost expected each month. Not necessarily a top 5 ranking, but often in the top 20.

This got me wondering whether I was exaggerating the warmth since 2000. Thus an evaluation of rankings was performed for each month and for the year as a whole. This included generating counts of the warmest top 10 and top 20 warmest months since 1895 that have occurred from January 2000 through April 2019.

A Real Spring: April 2019 Summary

May 6, 2019 - 2:34pm -- Dave Robinson

In recent years, complaints have been voiced that New Jersey “never” has a real spring anymore. Now just what is meant by that comes into question, as some think spring should most often have sunny 70° days with a few April showers included now and again! However, the main point has been that in recent years NJ has seemingly gone right from winter to summer. Whether it was a cold March and record mild April in 2017 or a snowy March and chilly April 2018 followed by the 4th warmest May, the transition has been rapid. This year, despite April being quite mild, conditions did include a mix of chilly and warm spells, sunny and dreary days, and even some nasty spring thunderstorms and gusty winds. Vegetation greened up a week or so ahead of schedule, and with it there was far more pollen dispersed than many appreciated. However, the green up was not so early that there was a great threat from a late-season freeze. Though on the 29th, the blueberry crop closely escaped damage from a light frost and freeze during a vulnerable growth period.

Statewide, it was the 4th mildest April since records commenced in 1895. The 54.7° average was 3.8° above the 1981–2010 mean and ranked 4th mildest. Six of the top ten and nine of the top 20 mildest Aprils have occurred since 2002. The average daily minimum temperature ranked 3rd highest and average maximum 10th.

Precipitation was about as average as can be. The statewide average of 3.95” was 0.04” below the 1981–2010 average and 0.22” wetter than the 1895–present average. It was the 43rd wettest April of the past 125 years, once again demonstrating how monthly precipitation totals tend to be skewed below the mean.

Pages

Subscribe to Front page feed