Good morning everyone!
Skies are mostly clear early on this Tuesday morning and once again temperatures are unseasonably warm with readings ranging from 72 in Clifton down to 61 at Walpack. Winds are calm or light southwesterly. The air quality is moderate with an index of 67.
CLIFTON’S ALMANAC FOR MAY 19TH:
AVERAGE HIGH: 72 AVERAGE LOW: 53
RECORD HIGH: 93 – 2017 RECORD LOW: 34 – 2002
YESTERDAY’S HIGH: 92 LOW: 67 PRECIPITATION: NONE
Bermuda high pressure ridge off the Carolina coast will give us a west-southwest flow of very hot air today along with sunny skies. High temperatures will be well up into the 90s. My record since 1973 for today is 93 and we should easily break that record. The Central Park record is 99 degrees while Newark’s airport the record is 98 both set in 1962 which also is the highest May temperatures on record.
Still hot on Wednesday but we should see an increase in clouds as a cold front approaches our area from the west. Showers and possibly some strong thunderstorms mainly after 2 p.m.
The front will move offshore on Thursday as a Canadian high pressure brings much cooler air into the region.
It should be mainly dry during the day on Friday but the front to our south will start to move back to the north which will give us a chance of showers after 2 p.m. with most of the showers will be after 8 p.m. Friday night.
A rather crappy holiday weekend with periods of rain Saturday and Sunday and with the clouds and an onshore wind flow high temperatures will struggle to reach 60 degrees on Saturday then be in the mid-upper 60s on Sunday.
At this point Memorial Day will be dry but mostly cloudy with slightly milder temperatures as high pressure builds toward our area.
THE FORECAST:
TODAY – MAY 19 – Sunny, breezy and very hot, highs in the upper 90s. Wind gusts to 25 mph.
TONIGHT – Partly cloudy and unseasonably mild, lows in the upper 70s.
WEDNESDAY – MAY 20 – Increasing cloudiness and breezy with showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m., highs in the low 90s, wind gusts to 28 mph.
THURSDAY – MAY 21 – Partly sunny and much cooler, highs near 70.
FRIDAY – MAY 22 – Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers after 2 p.m., highs in the mid 60s. Showers expected after 8 p.m.
SATURDAY – MAY 23 – Cloudy and chilly with showers, highs only near 60.
SUNDAY – MAY 24 – Cloudy with showers likely, highs in the upper 60s.
MEMORIAL DAY – MAY 25 – Mostly cloudy, highs in the low 70s.
MARINE FORECAST: A small craft advisory will be in effect from noon through midnight for southerly winds gusting to 25 knots, seas 3-5 feet.
OUTLOOK: No advisories expected for Thursday; advisories expected mainly for higher seas Friday and Saturday.
Have a nice day and stay cool and safe!