New Jersey Climate
Top 5 Cities: Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, and Edison
This month in numbers
March 2026 saw New Jersey experience its 8th warmest March on record, with an average temperature of 7.28°C, a significant 2.9°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Maximum temperatures also ranked high, coming in as the 7th warmest March on record at 13.28°C, an anomaly of +3.4°C. Precipitation for the month was below average at 83.31 mm, ranking as the 54th driest March. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
Looking at the broader picture, the January–March 2026 period in New Jersey was the 40th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 1.15°C, which is 0.6°C above the baseline. Precipitation for this three-month period was notably low, ranking as the 67th driest on record with 63.84 mm, a deficit of 22.1 mm. This continues a trend of below-normal precipitation for New Jersey, with 20 of the past 23 months experiencing less than average rainfall, leading to a statewide drought warning. New Jersey's 3-month anomaly places it as the 224th coolest out of 234 regions globally, indicating that while the state experienced a warm March, its winter season was comparatively cooler than many other parts of the world.
What’s driving change?
The significant warming observed in March can be attributed to , as winter transitions into spring, bringing rapid thermal fluctuations. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a weekly Niño 3.4 SST anomaly of +0.9°C, though forecasts indicate a likely transition to El Niño by May–July. ENSO tracker New Jersey is currently experiencing two drought events, which represent 100% of the annual total for the past 12 months, an unusual concentration. Additionally, a flood event occurred in April, also representing 100% of the annual total. These events highlight the region's vulnerability to both dry and wet extremes. A severe weather outbreak with damaging winds and tornadoes impacted the eastern US in mid-March, with an intense squall line moving across the region.
Looking ahead
The NOAA CPC forecast suggests a 61% chance of El Niño developing by May–July, which could influence weather patterns in the coming months.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
Loading climate data...
Data Sources
Data Sources for New Jersey
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in New Jersey changing?
New Jersey is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for New Jersey come from?
Climate data for New Jersey comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the New Jersey climate data cover?
The New Jersey climate profile covers Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth and surrounding areas. New Jersey climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the New Jersey climate update refreshed?
The New Jersey climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.