Here’s Why It Was So Darn Hot This September In NJ, Expert Says

NEWARK, NJ — It wasn’t your imagination. September was one of the hottest and driest New Jersey has seen since 1895, experts say.

With average temperatures of 69 degrees, September 2019 is tied for the eighth-warmest on record, coming in at 3.3 degrees above the 1981-2010 average, according to Rutgers University professor David Robinson.

Southern areas of the state were the warmest, at 3.5 degrees above average, while the north was 2.8 degrees above average.

Robinson, the New Jersey state climatologist, also said last month was the sixth-driest September in 125 years, with the state averaging a meager 1.19 inches of precipitation… 2.86 below the 1981-2010 average.

Robinson, who oversees the Rutgers NJ Weather Network and helps coordinate the New Jersey Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, shared the following chart of the top 10 hottest September temperatures seen since 1895.

So why was it was so darn hot this September? According to Robinson:

“The reason for this warmth is two-fold. Just looking at the short term, the warmth has arisen from persistent high pressure over the eastern U.S. The subsiding air in the atmosphere within this high warms as it reaches the surface and also reduces cloud cover, thus further warming the ground and lower atmosphere. In addition, New Jersey’s baseline temperatures are warming due to the overall global warming associated with increased greenhouse gases. Our climatological ‘base’ is higher (warmer), thus any warm weather pattern at present will be warmer than a similar pattern decades ago. This doesn’t necessarily equate with many record high temperatures. However, it increasingly is leading to more persistent episodes of above normal temperatures… episodes that are extending into the fall.”

Robinson pointed out that the temperatures on Wednesday, Oct. 2 were also scorchers. In New Brunswick, it reached 95 degrees, the warmest recorded since 1893.

All-time October record highs were also reached on Oct. 2 at Newark Airport (96 degrees, with a previous record of 93 in 1941), and Atlantic City Airport (95 degrees, with a previous record of 90 in both 2007 and 1959).

• See related article: Farmers' Almanac Releases NJ Winter 2019 Forecast (And It's A Doozy)

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