Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Windy, Cool April Weather

New Brunswick, N.J. (May 7, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick climatologist David A. Robinson is available for interviews on the unusually windy and cool April in New Jersey, as well as the third least snowy season since 1895.

“New Jersey’s May weather so far resembles the April we just experienced: rather cool and fairly often damp,” said Robinson, New Jersey State Climatologist and a distinguished professor in the Department of Geography in the School of Arts and Sciences. “April was the first month since last November and only the fourth in the past two years in which the average temperature was below normal. In fact, though April is normally about 10 degrees warmer than March, this April was only 2.6 degrees milder than March 2020, which happened to be the sixth-mildest March since records began in 1895. It looks like another week or two of below average temperatures before we might see this rather endless spring transition to summer conditions.”

While long-term wind observations are few across the Garden State and those available suffer from inconsistencies in instrumentation and location, plenty of air raced across the state throughout April, according to a monthly report by Robinson. Gusts hit 40 mph or higher at one or more Rutgers NJ Weather Network stations on 12 days. Of those, seven days had gusts from 50 to 59 mph and an impressive four gusted over 60 mph. The highest network gust of 76 mph occurred at Sea Girt (Monmouth County) on April 21. There were also reports (from other seemingly reliable stations) of gusts as high as 82 mph at Island Beach State Park (Ocean County) on April 13.

Meanwhile, traces of snow, sleet and graupel (small soft pellets) were observed at a number of locations around New Jersey in April, though any measurable snowfall was limited to some northern locations, mainly at higher elevations. The statewide average was a trace of snow, closing the books on the 2019-20 snow season as the third least snowy since 1895, with an average of 4.7 inches.

The complete seasonal snow summary is in an April 28 report. The full Blown Away: April 2020 Recap is on the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist and Rutgers NJ Weather Network websites.



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