NJ’s temperature roller coaster continues, up then down through the weekend

The Bottom Line

The unseasonably cool weather continues for now. If it were March or December, Tuesday would qualify as a pleasant day — but here in late April, temperatures are running 10+ degrees below normal (and even close to record lows in the early morning hours). At least this time around, it will be a bright, calm, dry day. Temperatures will start to moderate on Wednesday, although clouds will fill in and we will likely see some morning rain showers around New Jersey. Thursday looks like the nicest day of the week, by far, as thermometers spike to around 70 degrees. Then more rain and another cooldown take us into the final weekend of April.

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Weather Hazards

No hazardous weather conditions are expected over the next five days.

Climatological Context

April 21 is the 111th day of 2026.

Normal high temperatures for this date in New Jersey range from 65 to 66 degrees. Normal lows are 44 to 46.

April is, on average, New Jersey's 6th coolest, 4th driest, and 5th snowiest month of the year, according to the 1991-2020 published climate normals.

Tuesday

Woo, it's cold! The interior of New Jersey started Tuesday frozen, in the 20s. Urban and coastal areas were not much better, just above freezing in the 30s. As we have discussed, it is not unheard of to have a widespread freeze this late in the season. But it is unusual.

High temperatures Tuesday afternoon will be similar to Monday afternoon, reaching about 50 to 55 degrees. This time around though, we will enjoy lots of sunshine — that will help to cut through the chill and improve our overall mood a lot. Plus, weather will stay dry and winds will stay light.

Tuesday night will be chilly, but not nearly as cold or frosty as the night before. Lows will fall into the lower 40s on average, as clouds fill in.

Wednesday

Wednesday will warm up a few degrees, with high temperatures reaching about 60 degrees. Keep in mind, that is still a bit below normal for this time of year.

But you may need the umbrella for a few minutes in the morning, with a round of scattered showers sliding across the state. It looks like the northern half of New Jersey will be wetter than the southern half of the state, with up to a quarter-inch of total rainfall possible.

Skies will start mostly cloudy as conditions dry out in the afternoon.

Thursday

Thursday will be the nicest day of the week! In fact, it will be the only day this week with above normal temperatures.

Expect mostly sunny skies, a fresh breeze, and high temperatures around 70 degrees. Enjoy this lovely taste of spring weather!

Friday & Beyond

Our weather will take a turn in the other direction on Friday, as clouds and spotty showers return. Plus temperatures cool to around 60 degrees at best.

Saturday probably takes the prize as the worst weather day of the week, with periods of rain, cloudy skies, and cool temperatures. (Although we really need the rain given our growing rainfall deficit and drought concerns.) Thermometers will likely be stuck in the 40s all day — that is pretty miserable and quite uncomfortable to start the weekend.

Sunday looks better and much brighter. As sunshine and dry weather return, high temps push back to near 60 degrees. Hopefully we will see a return to seasonable 60s to close out April next week.

Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. Follow him on Facebook for the latest forecast and realtime weather updates.