Mother Nature had plenty of tricks up her sleeve this month and brought about a dynamic mix of weather across New Jersey in July. There was no shortage of things to talk about, including an oppressive and dangerous heat wave, rounds of severe weather, multiple flash flooding events, and a notable stretch of poor air quality stemming from wildfires burning in Canada.

The title of this month’s report is appropriate for two very different reasons. First, it applies to Jersey-wide precipitation this month and over the first half of 2026 being well below normal. This condition has persisted over 23 of the past 26 months when compared to 1991–2020 normals. The second reason for the title pertains to my 35-year run as New Jersey State Climatologist ending on June 30th as I retire from my academic career as a Rutgers professor and State Climatologist. I step down, proud of what our state climate office team has achieved and looking forward to future progress as Dr. John Krasting, a former Rutgers undergraduate and graduate student and, more recently, a respected scientist at NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab, grabs the baton.

Spring is often recognized as a period when winter attempts to hold on while summer comes knocking on the door. This past March and April displayed this “battle"...to the extreme. May also followed suit. The focus was mainly on thermal swings, resulting in many a decision on whether to go with cold or warm weather clothing. Meanwhile, the ongoing poor “production” of precipitation was disappointingly more persistent, except, unfortunately, over the Memorial Day weekend. First will be a recap of May conditions, followed by a spring overview.

April 2026 was a month ranking in the top ten for warmth, yet the major weather news of the month was a damaging late-month freeze. Weeks vacillated between warmth and cold, with the warm ones winning out. This thermal whiplash was accompanied by yet another below-normal month of precipitation, making this 21 of the past 24 months with below-normal totals across the Garden State. A Drought Warning issued by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection remains in place.

As is common as winter transitions into spring, this weather/climate shift came in fits and starts this March. Included were some rapid thermal flips, occasional powerful winds, and enough rain in the north to ease drought concerns but well below-normal rain in the south, a region that during winter had been leading the way with beneficial precipitation. The only thing mostly missing, for the third consecutive March, was snowfall, as the persistent snow and ice cover of recent months quickly melted.

The adage “wash, rinse, repeat” is an appropriate one when reviewing New Jersey’s weather and climate conditions over this past winter. There were multiple snowstorms and cold spells throughout the season, with below-normal precipitation (rain and melted snow/sleet) in each month as the state continues to experience drought conditions that date back almost two years. All this will be covered in a seasonal overview later in this report. First, a recap of conditions in a February that exemplifies what all months experienced this past winter.

Following a cold December and first few days of the month, temperatures rose to above-normal levels through the remainder of the first half of January. Thereafter, a major mid-month atmospheric pattern shift brought Arctic air roaring into the region, and with it several snow events and one of the more persistent cold episodes in recent years lasting through the end of the month.

The winter of 2025/2026 took no time to display its wares this past month; it was quick out of the gate. Time will tell whether this was a sign of what lies ahead for the rest of the season. For now, enough cold, wind, and snow arrived this month to remind all that winter in NJ can be a force to be reckoned with.

Never doubt that this author can find something interesting associated with the weather and climate of any month or season. However, truth be told, sometimes what transpires does not rise to the level of exceptional interest among those not infected with the weather bug. For the most part, this report’s title holds true for this November and fall. Certainly, there was many a gusty day this past month. Also, drought concerns failed to abate in a season where each month saw below normal statewide precipitation, making it 13 of the past 15 months with deficient precipitation. However, despite low precipitation totals, there were many dull, cloudy November days, New Jersey’s fall (fortunately) escaped any tropical storms, and just one notable early-season coastal storm occurred, albeit generating coastal flooding with associated damage.