New Jersey’s April roller coaster ride continues to dip and rise with a new batch of freeze alerts issued for cold temperatures coming Friday morning followed by a nice warmup that could see two straight days of 80-degree highs early next week.
The National Weather Service expects temperatures to drop as low as 30 degrees early Friday — not only in northwestern New Jersey but in central and southern counties as well.
Almost the entire state is under a freeze watch for now, and the watch could get upgraded to a freeze warning, advising homeowners to protect sensitive outdoor plants from being damaged or killed by the frigid temperatures.
UPDATE: The freeze watch has been upgraded to a freeze warning inAtlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Ocean, Salem, Somerset, Sussex and western Monmouth, effective from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday. In addition, a frost advisory has been issued for Cape May County and eastern Monmouth.
The chilly Friday morning will be followed by a sunny afternoon, with highs reaching the low 60s. Forecasters say Saturday will turn out to be partly sunny with highs in the low 60s before temperatures climb into the mid-70s by Sunday afternoon and the low to mid-80s Monday afternoon.
The long-range forecast calls for partly sunny skies on Tuesday, with the mercury making a run for 80 degrees and a 30% chance of rain showers.
The warm temperatures will be a far cry from the frigid mornings and chilly nights that have dominated this work week, with some parts of the state getting down into the 20s.
Morning lows in late April should range from 39 to 40 degrees in northwestern New Jersey, to the mid-40s in northeastern New Jersey and 44 to 45 degrees in central and southern New Jersey. Afternoon highs are normally in the mid-60s this time of year.
Current weather radar
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality.
