Wind, dry weather lead to Red Flag Warning in New Jersey; high fire danger across region | NEXT Weather Alert
This is a picture-perfect weekend for any outdoor activities, as long as they don't involve open flames. There is a Red Flag Warning for parts of South Jersey today and we have issued a NEXT Weather Alert due to an elevated fire danger across the entire region.
The red flag warning is in effect in the following counties of our region: Gloucester, Camden, Burlington, Ocean and Atlantic.
Low humidity of 20% to 30% combined with the dry brush and gusty 20-30 mph winds could fuel any fire that develops and spread it quickly.
Skies will be sunny today and winds will pick up out of the northwest behind a weak front the crossed the area today. Tonight, you'll need a jacket for date night or any other late-night plans because once the winds taper off the temperatures will fall quickly under clear skies to the upper 30s and low 40s by sunrise.
Sunday will be chilly in the upper 50s. Even colder air is on the way Sunday night which has led to the first Freeze Watch for much of the area Monday morning. Excluded is the I-95 area in and around Philadelphia and Delaware counties. Temperatures may drop below freezing away from the city so cover any delicate plants.
The big question next week may revolve around the Halloween forecast. This may be the first year I can remember that jackets won't be needed over the little ones' costumes. It will feel more like summer than the last day of October.
Temperatures rebound to the mid-60s Monday and by Thursday (Halloween) highs will be in the low 80s and chasing a record high of 82 set in 1946. The NEXT Weather Team's forecast is 82 for Thursday.
Circling back to our lack of rain, today's cold front is the third dry front in the past several weeks. Much of the area is now under a moderate to severe drought which will likely be elevated to extreme drought for parts of the area next week when the next update arrives.
The lack of rain also has us chasing a 150-year-old dry streak of 29 days for Philadelphia set way back in the fall of 1874. We will tie that record tomorrow and set a new record of 30 days on Monday. That new record will then be broken every day next week with no rain in sight. The only hope is another weak cold front late Thursday night and Friday morning but like the other fronts this one will also be moisture starved.
November kicks off unseasonably warm on Friday with highs in the 70's.
Here's your 7-day forecast:
Saturday: NEXT Weather Alert for fire danger. High 68
Sunday: Cooler. High 59 , Low 41.
Monday: Cool, sunny. High 54, Low 35.
Tuesday: Milder. High 70, Low 43.
Wednesday: Warm! High 76, Low 53.
Thursday: Nice and mild for Halloween. High 82, Low 59.
Friday: Staying dry. High 74, Low 63
