When is it going to feel like fall in North Jersey? We asked an expert

After a string of warm days, North Jersey residents can expect a brief brush with fall this week.

“It’ll be noticeably cooler compared to what we’ve had lately,” said Bill Goodman, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.

Monday and Tuesday will reach into the lower to mid-80s. But a cool-down is expected after that. The highs will be around 70 on Wednesday and Thursday could top out in the 60s, said Goodman.

Here’s why North Jersey temps will turn cooler

What’s behind the cool-down? The shift is driven by a cold front that will pass through the region Tuesday night, bringing no precipitation but ushering in cooler air.

“That front comes through dry,” Goodman said. “Then a big high-pressure system over Ontario and Quebec starts building down toward the area.”

Thank Hurricane Humberto for the cool down, which is far enough offshore that most people won’t notice it except for Jersey Shore residents who will see swelling waves by midweek.

“If you happen to be at the ocean beaches, we’re looking at swells of seven to 10 feet coming in from the southeast, especially on Wednesday,” he said.

Those swells are expected to build starting Tuesday and gradually subside.

Water temperatures are still near 70 degrees — warm enough for swimming, but watch for dangerous rip currents, Goodman said.

Here’s when warm temperatures return to NJ

Despite the arrival of fall on Sept. 22, this week’s change to cooler weather won’t stick around.

Temperatures rise again, nearing 70 on Friday and back into the mid to upper 70s for the weekend.

“There’s a large high-pressure system over the center of the country that’s going to rebuild into our area as we get into the weekend,” Goodman said. “That’ll bring a return of warmth and until the jet stream can knock that down, we’re likely to stay above normal temperatures for the foreseeable future.”

Is this warm weather unusual for New Jersey?

Not really.

While temperatures are running above average for early fall — the normal high for Newark this time of year is 73 degrees, with a normal low around 56 — Goodman said temperatures in the 80s during late September or early October is not out of the ordinary.

“It can happen,” he said. “You can see 80-degree warmth into early October. It starts to become unusual later in the month and into November.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Cooler air moves in to North Jersey. Here’s when and for how long