Hot Temperatures Have Garden State Roasting

The timing of the hot weather over the past several days here in New Jersey couldn’t have been any more perfect.  Memorial Day saw the highest temperature and heat index of the year to date.  On Tuesday, mother nature raised her game another notch with another torrid weather day around the state including Northwestern Middlesex County.

On Monday, the mercury reached a high of 90.5 degrees with a heat index of 100.7.  Not bad for the unofficial start of the summer season, and perfect for beachgoers.  Then came Tuesday.  The return to the work week was accompanied by even warmer weather.  Earlier this afternoon, the temperature topped 90 again with a high of 92, which is now the hottest temperature to date this year.  There have only been three days so far this year where the mercury climbed to 90 or above.  Two of them have happened on Monday and Tuesday.

The heat index made it feel even hotter.  Accompanying the hot temperatures were high humidity levels that made it feel like 104 in South Plainfield this afternoon.  The dew point maxed out at just under 76 degrees.  Winds have picked up a little bit since yesterday with gusts of up to 5 miles per hour at the surface.  There are changes on the way though.

A cold front is approaching from the west.  It was in Indiana last night, western Ohio this morning, and is now pushing through Pennsylvania.  Severe Thunderstorm Watches have already been issued in Central Pennsylvania.  Meanwhile, pop up t-storms have developed to the east of the watch area in parts of Eastern Pennsylvania.  These storms should arrive in our backyard by later tonight and tomorrow.  The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly has indicated in a Hazardous Weather Outlook that the storms could bring heavy rains.

After the front moves through, temperatures should be more comfortable on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.