Those unseasonable temperatures that lingered across New Jersey last month tied a record in Newark and matched the fifth warmest November statewide in 120 years.
The warm spell is now official.
Those unseasonable temperatures that lingered across New Jersey last month, making it comfortable to be outdoors, tied a record in Newark and matched the fifth warmest November statewide in 120 years.
That's the word from the National Weather Service and state climatologist David Robinson at Rutgers University, after they analyzed temperature readings for all 30 days of November.
Newark's November average this year was 60.4 degrees for its high and 43.7 degrees for its low, which averages out to 52.0 -- slightly more than 5 degrees above the normal average for the month.
WARM WINTER AHEAD?
Long-range forecast models at the National Weather Service are indicating the warm November trend will continue, with a high probability of temperatures continuing to run above normal in New Jersey during the first half of December.
"It's a lock the first two weeks of this month are going to be above average. . . and it will be very difficult to find a lot of wintry weather before the first of the year," Robinson said.
Another rainy day in N.J., but drying up soon
"You can never say these things with certainty," he noted, but "everything seems to be in lockstep," with cold air trapped in the polar regions and unable to push down into North America.
As for this week, the light rain that's falling across New Jersey is expected to continue on and off through Wednesday night, with temperatures hovering in the mid- to upper 50s, slightly above normal for this time of year.
The statewide average for November was 49.3 degrees, making it tied with 1948 as the fifth warmest November since records started being compiled in 1895, Robinson said. The only years it was warmer were 2006 (49.9 average), 1975 (49.6 average), 2009 (49.6 average) and 1931 (49.5 average).
While November was about 4 degrees warmer than usual, October turned out to be slightly cooler than usual. The statewide average -- a compilation of temperature readings from several dozen weather stations across New Jersey -- was 54.4 degrees, or 0.4 degrees below normal.
RECORD WARMTH IN NYC
Across the Hudson River, monthly records were also tied or broken. In Central Park, the average November temperature was 5.1 degrees above normal and broke an all-time record, the National Weather Service said. The Long Island town of Islip tied its record for November warmth.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
