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Aurora Borealis as seen from High Point on October 10th, 2024 (photo courtesy of Shawn Viggiano).
Aurora Borealis as seen from High Point on October 10th, 2024 (photo courtesy of Shawn Viggiano).

New Jersey has transitioned into a worrisome drought situation following historically low October precipitation. So, too, was the September–October combined total a record low. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection issued a Drought Watch on October 17th, serving as a “heads up” that the state had been exceedingly dry for weeks. This continued through the end of the month, one in which, averaged statewide, precipitation totaled only 0.02”. This was 4.17” below the 1991–2020 normal and surpassed October 1963 as the driest October on record. Many gauges failed to collect any measurable precipitation and those that did, at best, saw no more than about 0.10”. The northern climate division averaged 0.03” (-4.42”, driest), southern division 0.01” (-4.02, driest), and coast 0.02” (-4.07”, driest).

This was not a record low precipitation just for October, rather for any month. Seven of the ten driest months since 1895 have occurred in the fall. When warm-season showers and possible late-season tropical systems fail to deliver rain to the Garden State, and early cold-season low pressure systems fail to arrive, extended dry spells may occur. Still, runs of 30 or more days without measurable precipitation are quite rare. Dry streaks at some stations were continuing into November as of the report publication date (November 8th).

October precipitation futility in conjunction with the third driest September on record resulted in the driest of any pairing of consecutive months on record. The 0.80” total was 0.55” lower than the previous record in December 1980–January 1981. The southern half of the state was drier than the north, though both were woefully dry.

Latest Extremes

City, State Temp
Lower Alloways Creek, NJ 33
Fortescue, NJ 33
Mannington Twp., NJ 32
Jersey City, NJ 32
Cape May Court House, NJ 32
City, State Temp
High Point Monument, NJ 22
High Point, NJ 24
Vernon Twp., NJ 25
Sandyston, NJ 26
Woodland Twp., NJ 26
most current information as of Dec 7 5:50 AM

Latest Conditions & Forecast

New Brunswick, NJ

Rutgers University Meteorology Program

31°F

Wind

6 mph from the WSW

Wind Gust

10 mph from the SW

Mostly Sunny
39 °F
Mostly Cloudy
32 °F
Decreasing Clouds
51 °F
Partly Cloudy
30 °F
Chance Rain then Rain
50 °F
Chance Showers
41 °F
Mostly Cloudy then Chance Rain
54 °F
Rain
45 °F
Rain
59 °F
Chance Rain
29 °F
Sunny
39 °F
Partly Cloudy
23 °F
Mostly Sunny
39 °F

Today

Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. West wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 51. West wind 5 to 15 mph.

Sunday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Monday

Rain, mainly after 1pm. High near 50. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Monday Night

A chance of showers before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tuesday

A chance of rain after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Tuesday Night

Rain. Low around 45. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Wednesday

Rain. High near 59. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Wednesday Night

A chance of rain before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 39.

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Friday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 39.

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More News

Marine fog shrouds the Brigantine Bridge that connects Atlantic City and Brigantine (Atlantic County) on September 28th (photo courtesy of Chris Stachelski).

Perhaps the title for this month’s report has captured your attention. Hope so, because while September was a rather quiet month weather-wise for New Jersey, it certainly was an unusual one. As many of you reading this report know, the prevailing winds across the middle latitudes, including New Jersey, tend to be westerlies, comprised of winds blowing from west to east. However, an unusually persistent atmospheric pattern this past month resulted in easterly winds most often blowing across the state. This led to minor coastal flooding, rip currents, and foggy conditions along the coast, and...

Low-lying fog blankets a farm field in Sparta Township (Sussex County) on the morning of August 16th (photo courtesy of Nick Stefano).

While it is exceedingly rare to see monthly or seasonal temperature departures from normal differ in sign or even notable magnitude between southern and northern portions of New Jersey, such is not always the case for precipitation. This August and summer as a whole exemplify such disparities. While rain was often plentiful in the north, more often than not, the south did not see gauges fill as much or as often. This report will first address August conditions in the Garden State, finishing with a recap of climatological summer (June–August). August precipitation averaged 6.52” across NJ...

A smoke plume from the early July Tea Time Hill fire in Wharton State Forest (photo courtesy of the NJ Forest Fire Service).

Yet another warmer-than-normal July is in the books. This first sentence is just how last July’s report began. With a statewide average temperature of 77.9°, July 2024 ranked as the 7th warmest since records commenced in 1895. It was 2.5° above the 1991–2010 normal. The average high of 87.8° was 2.1° above normal, ranking 10th warmest. The average low of 68.0° was 2.9° above normal, ranking 3rd warmest. Eight of the ten warmest Julys have occurred since 2010 and ten of fifteen since 1999. Only three Julys in the past 25 years have averaged below the 1991–2010 normal. The June-July average...

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The Lion Roared All Month Long: March 2018 Summary

April 7, 2018 - 3:04pm -- Dave Robinson

While the first and last few days of the month came in disguised as a lamb, March 2018 was a roaring lion on many occasions. Three nor’easters pounded New Jersey, with a fourth grazing the state, turning more of its wrath on southeastern New England. In true nor’easter fashion, the storms brought minor to moderate coastal flooding, significant beach erosion, powerful winds, heavy rain, and record- to near-record-breaking snowfall. This led to two of the larger power outages since Sandy in 2012, numerous traffic accidents, significant tree damage, frequent school closings, and even someone being injured by lightning during a snowstorm.

Since When Did February Become March?: February 2018 Summary and Winter 2017/2018 Recap

March 6, 2018 - 5:11pm -- Dave Robinson

Snow photo

While the title of this report is guilty of some exaggeration, by just looking at the temperatures across New Jersey the past two Februaries you would not be far off the mark. The mildest February by far occurred in 2017 (40.4°), while this past February 2018 came in second mildest at 39.2°, just edging out 1998. This was 5.8° above the 1981–2010 mean and an impressive 8.3° above the 1895–present mean. The difference between mean periods further illustrates how Februaries in recent decades have been milder overall than earlier in the 20th century. So does the fact that February 2018 was milder than 62 of the past 123 Marches (February 2017 was milder than 70 Marches).

Not to be ignored due to February’s warmth, monthly precipitation certainly delivered in an impressive manner. The average statewide rainfall of 5.97” ranks as the third wettest on record. This is 3.17” above the 1981–2010 mean (2.87” above the period of record mean) and is the wettest February in well over 100 years.

Bitter Cold, a Blizzard, and a Thaw: January 2018 Summary

February 5, 2018 - 5:06pm -- Dave Robinson

Great Falls frozen

The first month of 2018 was replete with cold, warmth, snow, rain, and stretches of dry weather. First came an impressive episode of subfreezing conditions that began in late December and extended into the second week of January. This interval included a storm that brought over 10” of snow and blizzard conditions to coastal counties. Next was a heavy rain event accompanied by much warmer air, then later in the month, several scattered rain and snow episodes interspersed with dry conditions and some 60° warmth. Something for most everyone, I suppose you could say!

The statewide January mean temperature was 29.2°. This is 1.5° below the 1981–2010 mean and ranks as the 55th coldest January of the 124 since 1895. It was the coldest January since 2015. Precipitation (rain and melted snow) across NJ averaged 2.69”, which is 0.71” below average for the month. This was the 39th driest on record and the lowest total since 2010. January snowfall across the state averaged 8.3”, which was 1.1” above average. Northern counties averaged 7.9” (-1.4”), central ones 6.9” (-1.0”), and the south on top with 9.2” (+3.4”). Through January, this snow season has brought an average of 17.0” (+4.1”) to New Jersey, with the north at 16.6” (-0.8”), central 14.7” (+0.3”), and south 17.0” (+4.1”).

An Early Winter Sampler: December 2017 Recap and Annual Summary, including the Top 10 Events of 2017

January 3, 2018 - 4:09pm -- Dave Robinson

Snow-covered lagoon

The last month of 2017 was similar to many a month this past year. Whatever the season, weather conditions varied quite a bit from week to week. This was mainly due to an absence of atmospheric blocking in the middle and high latitudes with patterns that can lock a particular weather situation in place for multiple weeks. Thus in December we had a mild week, a snowy week, and a very cold week interspersed with transitional conditions. The one largely absent factor was precipitation, which resulted in the 10th driest December across NJ since records were established in 1895. The 1.57” of rain and melted snowfall was 2.28” below the 1981–2010 average. Snowfall averaged 8.7”, which is 3.9” above average and ranks as the 25th snowiest December on record. It was the snowiest since 2010. North Jersey averaged 8.7” (+2.1”), central areas 7.8” (+2.3”), and the south 9.1” (+4.9”). Temperatures seesawed from week to week, with the monthly statewide average of 33.6° being 1.6° below the 1981–2010 average. This ranked as the 61st coldest or 63rd mildest December on record.

Even a Quiet Month Can be Interesting and an Overall Mild and Dry Season: November and Fall 2017 Summary

December 5, 2017 - 3:06pm -- Dave Robinson

High Point snow, November 8

Even in a rather tranquil month, there are always interesting aspects of New Jersey’s weather and climate that can make for memorable situations. Such was the case during the 11th month of 2017. On the heels of a mild October and first week of November came one of the coldest early-season blasts on record on the 11th. Then the 19th saw some of the strongest winds of the year across the state. Overall, dry conditions by month’s end put the northern Highlands in the D0 (abnormally dry) category on the US Drought Monitor map, threatening to expand further into the state should dry conditions persist.

Rainfall averaged 1.68” across the state. This is 1.93” below the 1981–2010 mean and ranks as the 19th driest November since 1895. It was the driest since 1.30” fell in 2012 and well above the record low 0.54” in 1917. The statewide average temperature of 44.3° tied with 1938 as the 75th coolest (or 49th mildest) on record. The average was 0.9° below the 1981–2010 mean, but 0.8° above the 1895–2017 mean. This demonstrates how New Jersey has warmed in recent decades compared to earlier in the 20th century.

Delays Abound: October 2017 Summary

November 6, 2017 - 2:59pm -- Dave Robinson

October 29-30 2017 rainfall total map

The tenth month of 2017 was marked by the slow arrival of October-like conditions, including the first freezes of the season, the close-to-two week delay in the fall leaf season, and the absence of much precipitation until two late-month storms made up for lost time. Amidst all of this, October proved to be the second warmest across New Jersey since the onset of records in 1895. The 60.7° average was 6.2° above the 1981–2010 normal, trailing the 2007 record by 1.4°, but 0.9° above the now third mildest October in 1971. The month ended with a large portion of the state yet to be visited by the first freeze of the season.

Rainfall was rather limited throughout the first three weeks of the month, leading to an expansion of D0 “abnormally dry” conditions across the northern half of the state in the US Drought Monitor. It was anticipated that a portion of the north would move to a D1 “moderate drought” designation and the remainder of NJ to D0 come the October 31st weekly map (as mentioned in previous reports, the state climate office plays a significant role in making such designations). However, some welcome rain fell on the 24th, and on the 29th the largest statewide rain event since April 30, 2014, brought close to, and in some areas more than, a month’s worth of liquid in a major storm. This arrived on the 5th anniversary of Sandy and 6th anniversary of a historic early season snowstorm. When all was said and done, statewide October precipitation averaged 4.96”. This is 1.07” above average and ranks as the 25th wettest of the past 123 years.

Plenty Dry with Backwards Warmth: September 2017 Summary

October 5, 2017 - 4:40pm -- Dave Robinson

Waves photo

While remarkable deadly and destructive hurricanes pummeled portions of the Caribbean and southern states, September weather conditions in the Garden State were generally quiet. The most notable exceptions were the dangerous rip currents at the Jersey shore associated with the latter stages of Hurricanes Irma and Jose, which resulted in several drowning deaths and numerous water rescues. Minor to some moderate back-bay flooding and beach erosion accompanied the tumultuous surf, particularly between the 18th–21st. Otherwise, little more than some clouds and light rain reached NJ from these storms, while earlier some remnant energy and moisture from Hurricane Harvey brought one of the month’s few notable rain episodes. Dry conditions prevailed through much of the September, especially the second half. As a result, statewide precipitation averaged just 2.23”. This is 1.82” below the 1981–2010 average and was the 28th driest September since 1895.

While the first half of the month had an average temperature of about a degree below normal, September finished on a warm note. Some locations experienced three consecutive days with maximums of 90° or higher from the 23rd–25th. This backwards turn to warmth while the calendar suggested there should be a decline in temperature resulted in the month averaging 2.6° above the long-term mark. The 68.4° average made this the 10th warmest September on record. The last three Septembers and six since 2005 all fall into the top 10.

It’s Not Easy Staying Green: August and Summer 2017 Summaries

September 7, 2017 - 4:49pm -- Dave Robinson

Tomatoes

Despite July and August typically being the wettest months of the year in New Jersey, their warmth usually results in evaporation rates exceeding rainfall. Thus, when heat ensues and rain is light for a few weeks—not uncommon in a Jersey summer—lawns, gardens, and fields require considerable irrigation to avoid wilting or browning. Such was not the case this past August and earlier in the summer, as rain was ample and quite timely in most areas and hot temperatures did not prevail for extended periods. More will be reported for the summer as a whole later in this report. For August in particular, the average of 5.06” of rain that fell across NJ was 0.96” above the 1981–2010 average. It ranked as the 41st wettest August since 1895 and the wettest since record wet conditions in 2011.

The average statewide August temperature of 71.7° was 1.3° cooler than the 1981–2010 average (tied with 1926, 1952, and 1985). It was 5.1° cooler than last year’s record warm August. Since 1895, there have been 57 cooler Augusts and 62 that were warmer, which reflects the fact that this year was only 0.2° cooler than the 1895–2017 average. Yes, Augusts have generally warmed in recent decades.

Rainfall Corridors: July 2017 Summary

August 4, 2017 - 4:20pm -- Dave Robinson

Valley fog photo

July 2017 proved to be an active month of weather throughout the Garden State. Time and time again, storms traversed the state, often depositing the heaviest rainfall in 30–40 mile west-to-east “corridors,” while elsewhere totals were much lighter. Such is the nature of showery summer rainfall, although in one case, the swath of heavy rainfall was associated with an out-of-season coastal storm. When all was said and done, rainfall occurred frequently enough to leave most locations with average to well above average monthly totals. The statewide average July rainfall was 6.33”. This is 1.76” above the 1981–2010 average and ranks as the 19th wettest July of the past 123 years. Last year with 6.97” (ranking 13th) and 2004 with 7.51” (ranking 8th) were the most recent Julys to be wetter than this year. The statewide average temperature of 75.5° was 0.9° above average. This ranks as the 22nd warmest July on record. There have been nine warmer Julys since 2002, including last year at 77.1° (ranking 7th).

A Potpourri of Weather: June 2017 Summary and Mid-Year Recap

July 5, 2017 - 5:19pm -- Dave Robinson

Rainbow photo

Occasionally there are months that defy a “directional” theme when it comes to the weather and climate conditions experienced across the Garden State. In other words, conditions didn’t lean markedly toward, for example, wet or dry, cold or warm, or calm or stormy. June 2017 was one of those “potpourri” months. There were thunderstorms with drenching rain and even two tornadoes occurred, yet there were stretches of comfortable, dry weather. There was a three-day heat wave, with the temperature going as high as 97°, and some cool nights, with 35° being the coldest observed temperature in the state. When the precipitation was added up, the statewide average came out to 3.34”, which was 0.67” below the 1981–2010 mean of 4.01” and ranks as the 54th driest June of the past 123 years. The statewide average temperature of 70.5° was 0.7° above average. This ranks as the 27th mildest June on record.

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