Labor Day Weekend Outlook (Sept 4-7)

The majority of the Labor Day Weekend looks pretty good with the caveat of onshore flow for highly populated coastal regions. Basically, the air will have the most amazing feel of the year so far but boating and beach conditions could be annoying. My advice: If you’re going boating, stick along the western sides of the barrier islands. This will keep the water calm for at least a few hundred yards. Example locations are Party Island (aka Ship Bottom Sandbar – LBI) and the bay-side of Island Beach State Park. There are many locations like this up and down the western side of the Jersey Shore and they will be the spots to be. Launch the boat from that area if you can. Otherwise, if you have to cross any bays or are looking to go out in the ocean, you could be in for a very wet and whitecap-rough ride.  Let’s break the holiday weekend down:

Friday high temperatures should reach the low-to-mid 80s statewide. Skies should feature a mixed bag of mostly sun, some clouds and possibly a few scattered showers and thunderstorms. The back door cold front is mostly through but that could be just enough of a trigger to spark some hit-or-miss activity, especially earlier in the day. Most of New Jersey should stay dry though. Winds should be light-to-breezy out of the E/SE, felt moreso along the coast. We should start to see some relief from humidity which should last at least a few days. Overnight lows should fall into the 60s for most of New Jersey (50s for NNJ elevations).

Saturday high temperatures should reach the upper-70s and lower-80s statewide. Skies should be mostly sunny. Coastal regions will have the most trouble breaking 80 due to the onshore flow delivery of 74-76 degree ocean surface temperature-biased air mass. With that said, expect light-to-moderate winds out of the E/NE, lighter for interior regions but maybe 20mph gusts along the shore. Overnight lows could flirt with 40s in NNJ elevations but should otherwise fall into the 50s and 60s for the coastal plain.

Sunday high temperatures should reach the mid-80s inland and maybe just break 80 along the coast. Skies should be mostly sunny with a few clouds possible, especially along the coast. With onshore flow, clouds and even a few sprinkles are always possible wildcards for immediate coastal regions. Possible overcast skies for the barrier islands (less clouds inland) is probably the best compromise of current model guidance. Winds should be light-to-breezy out of the E, again felt moreso along the coast where gusts of 15-20mph are possible. Overnight lows should fall into the 50s (interior/elevations) and 60s (coastal plain).

Monday high temperatures could flirt with 90 for interior regions, especially the Philadelphia-Trenton span along I-95. Coastal regions should hold in the low-to-mid 80s. With high pressure almost directly overhead, expect mostly sunny skies. Winds should be light out of the E/SE for most but more noticeable along the immediate coast. The return of humidity should be marginally noticeable. Overnight lows should range from 60-70 (NWNJ to SENJ).

An early look at Tuesday-forward indicates a few more warm and humid days (Tuesday and Wednesday) then boom…sustained late summer cool-down. For interior regions of New Jersey that means highs struggling to get out of 70s and lows down into the 50s (slightly cooler for NNJ elevations and slightly warmer for the coast).

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Be safe and have a great weekend! JC

Jonathan Carr

Jonathan Carr (JC) is the founder and sole operator of Weather NJ, New Jersey’s largest independent weather reporting agency. Since 2010, Jonathan has provided weather safety and forecasting services for New Jersey and immediate surrounding areas through the web and social media. Originally branded as Severe NJ Weather (before 2014), Weather NJ is proud to bring you accurate and responsible discussions ahead of high-stakes weather scenarios that impact the garden state. All Weather. All New Jersey.™