Persistent Easterly Flow Fading Away as Sun Returns for Week 5
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – Over the past two weeks, there has been a great deal of unsettled weather over Central Jersey as well as the rest of the Garden State. Fortunately, it didn’t result in a lot of rain. From September 26th to September 29th, there was 0.59 of an inch of rain at Greg’s Weather Center in South Plainfield, NJ. The rain over those four days represented 91 percent of all the rainfall at GWC in September 2024.
The reason for the unsettled weather in the Garden State over the past two weeks has been an easterly flow off of the nearby Atlantic Ocean. It was not only responsible for the clouds and lower temperatures with some rain here and there, but it also combined with the Harvest Moon last week to produce minor coastal flooding and rip currents down at the Jersey Shore.
A little less than half of the total rainfall for September 2023 fell on Saturday. It came just in time for the start of the start of the Big Central Conference crossover contest between Somerville and Hillside at Woodfield Stadium in Hillside. GWC ended up with 0.32 inches of rain on Saturday. Since August 9th, there has been only 1.98 inches at GWC in South Plainfield, NJ.
Over the past two weeks, the average temperature has struggled to get out of the 60s. For example, the last five days of September 2024 combined to have an average high of 69.4 degrees and an average low of 61.6 degrees. The unstable and unsettled weather pattern is about to change for the better though. The persistent easterly fetch that has dominated our weather these past two weeks is beginning to let up.
The sun came out in earnest on Thursday afternoon at GWC. In response, the thermometer broke the 70-degree barrier with a high of 72 after a morning low of 58. Tomorrow and Saturday are going to be warmer with highs in the mid to upper 70s. The sun is still going to battle it out with the clouds a bit but will begin to win out as we progress further into the weekend.
For the Big Central Conference crossover contest between Bernards of the Patriot Gold and South Plainfield of the United Silver from Olcott Field in Bernards Township on Friday night, conditions will be ideal for football. According to the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, the temperature at kickoff will be in the upper 60s to low 70s after an afternoon high of 76. Winds will be light out of the South-Southwest and the chance of rain will be low.
Moving on to Saturday’s game between South Brunswick and Watchung Hills at Mike Elko Field in Monmouth Junction, conditions will be warmer thanks to light winds from the South. The temperature at kickoff will be about 75 degrees and could reach 80 for a high by the fourth quarter. The chance of rain will be negligible.
Looking at the Atlantic tropics, it has been a week since Hurricane Helene slammed into the Big Bend region of Florida, and then proceeded to ravage much of the Southeast with gusty winds and torrential rains. The heavy rains spawned devastating floods and mudslides in the Southern Appalachians and Smokey Mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia.
Helene has become the deadliest storm in the United States since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Over 200 people have been confirmed dead in the wake of the storm with hundreds still missing. More storms have developed in the Atlantic. Four named storms have formed in the past week including three hurricanes and two major hurricanes.