Balmy Weather Greets Start of Week 2
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – Another week of New Jersey High School football is upon us, and the weather couldn’t be any better. Balmy weather greets the start of Week 2 play in the Garden State and the Big Central Conference. Temperatures have been on the rise, and so has been the humidity In Northwestern Middlesex County as well as the rest of Central Jersey.
As of 2:15 PM EDT, the high temperature at Greg’s Weather Center in South Plainfield, NJ is up to 82 degrees. It is the second straight day of 80-degree-plus weather, and it marked the 89th time in 2024 that GWC has reached at least 80 degrees for a high. The weather this week has been splendid. Typical for September. Dry conditions with sunny skies. Cool mornings followed by warm afternoons.
We have almost reached the middle of the month, and to date, there has been only 0.06 of an inch of rain thus far at GWC. Twelve of the first 13 days of September 2024 have been dry. Conditions have been quite arid in Northwestern Middlesex County for about the past 30 days or so. Since the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby came through on August 9th and 10th, GWC has received just 1.55 inches of rain.
Things could be changing though. On Wednesday night, Hurricane Francine made landfall in Louisiana as a Category Two storm with 100 mph winds. The storm created a Flash Flood Emergency in the New Orleans area, where as much as 8 inches of rain fell. Francine is now a remnant low, but there are indications that these remains will link up with a frontal boundary over the Southeastern United States to produce a coastal low in the area of the Carolinas over the next several days.
This area of potential development has a medium chance over the next week to acquire some form of tropical characteristics. So, our luck may be ending by the latter portion of next week. We will see how things go and continue to monitor the progress of this potential storm. In the meantime, enjoy the great weather that will remain in place for at least the next couple of days.
For Big Central Gridiron’s first game of Week 2 between Highland Park and Jonathan Dayton in Springfield on Friday night, temperatures should still be in the upper 70s at kickoff. Winds will be light out of the Southeast. Humidity levels will rise during the evening, but the chance of precipitation will be very low. Overnight low is expected to bottom out at about 60 degrees by early Saturday morning.
On Saturday afternoon, BCG will be at Brenner Family Field in Metuchen for the Big Central Conference American Gold Division contest between St. Joseph’s and Union. Kickoff will be around 1:00 PM. The National Weather Service forecast is calling for more sunny skies and even warmer temperatures after a foggy start. The afternoon high is expected to reach around 85 degrees. The temperature at kickoff is expected to be about 82.
Winds will be shifting from the southwest in the morning to the east by game time. Humidity and dew point levels will be fairly moderate. At kickoff, the humidity is forecast to be 53 percent for a dew point of about 63. Those levels will remain pretty much the same throughout the contest. So, players will need to hydrate thoroughly to avoid cramping during the action.
