The heat index reached 104 degrees in some parts of New Jersey on Thursday, and temperatures will continue to feel around as hot as 100 degrees for the next four days, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
But if you want to head to cooler temperatures, go to the Shore and points south.
Nearly all of New Jersey is under a heat advisory until 8 p.m. Friday except for coastal areas and Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland counties said meteorologist Ray Kruzdlo of the National Weather Service.
The high temperatures in New Jersey on Thursday were forecast to hit 98 degrees in the northeast part of the state. However, the humidity of under 50%, even in the 30s, in much of the state is keeping the heat index from rising further.
Rain could bring some relief, although it likely won’t last, and shorten the heat wave.
On top of the heat in the midsection of the state, about 23% is experiencing moderate drought conditions, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. That includes all of Monmouth and Middlesex counties. Another 74.6% of the state is abnormally dry.
The National Weather Service warned that a cold front would move across the region on Thursday afternoon and evening, bringing the potential for storms with strong winds and heavy rain.
Still, temperatures will begin to moderate by Tuesday, Kruzdlo said.
During August, the hottest month of the year, the jet stream that serves as a divider between cooler and warmer air moves further north, allowing heat from the tropics to follow and bringing heat waves like this.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, heat waves have become more frequent and intense over time.
According to the EPA, the average heat wave season across the 50 cities is about 49 days longer now than in the 1960s.
The agency said they have increased steadily, from an average of two heat waves per year during the 1960s to six per year during the 2010s and 2020s.
For those who are going to say this must mean climate change is coming after us, the 2020s are not the worst.
According to the EPA, heat waves in the 1930s during the Dust Bowl era still rank as the most severe on record in the U.S.
