New Jersey heads into May with near-normal temperatures, but weather records show the month can deliver everything from snow flurries to almost triple-digit heat.
Alex Staarmann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said current conditions suggest a 30% to 40% chance of average temperatures, with highs expected in the low 70s and overnight lows near 50 degrees over the next week. According to AccuWeather, the warmest day of the month could be Friday, May 2, with temperatures climbing to 82 degrees.
May 2 is the only day AccuWeather projected over 80 degrees, but that can easily change as the forecast for each day gets closer and more accurate. Average high temperatures for May are projected to range between 69 and 75 degrees.
But May’s weather history in North Jersey shows how unpredictable the month can be. Bob Ziff of North Jersey Weather Observers said Hillsdale experienced snow and graupel — soft ice pellets — on May 9, 10 and 11 in 2020. A light coating of snow, sleet and graupel even accumulated on colder surfaces like mulch during that stretch.
While Bergenfield averages only a trace of snow in May — typically flurries or snow showers that melt on contact — measurable May snowfall has been recorded farther north. Sussex County’s High Point saw 10 inches of snow on May 9, 1977, and Wantage recorded 0.3 inches on May 9, 2020. Towns like Linden and Ramsey also logged a trace of snow that day.
Rainfall is another hallmark of May. Bergenfield averages 4.24 inches of rain during the month, essential for the famous “May flowers.” Some years have been especially wet: More than 10 inches of rain fell in both 1984 and 1989, and in 2019, 8.25 inches were recorded, Ziff said. Last May, Bergenfield received 4.75 inches, about half an inch above normal.
Temperature swings are also common. The average May temperature in Bergenfield from 1983 to 2004 was 62.4 degrees. Last May was warmer, averaging 65.8 degrees. The warmest May on record averaged 67.8 degrees in 1991, while the coldest was 57.8 degrees in 2005.
Despite the warming trend, chilly mornings remain a threat. Since 1983, 23 out of 31 days in May have seen record low temperatures in the 30s, with the coldest being 32 degrees on May 14, 1996. However, the strengthening sun and longer days also bring the potential for early heat waves: Bergenfield has seen record highs in the 90s on 25 of May’s 31 days, peaking at 98 degrees on May 26, 2010.
Typically, Bergenfield averages two days over 90 degrees in May. In 1983, the town recorded five such days. Last year, however, no days broke 90 degrees, though temperatures hit 89 degrees on both May 21 and May 22.
Forecasters advise residents to keep an eye on the forecast — and not put away their flannel shirts just yet.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: May forecast for North Jersey and when summer weather will arrive