The Bottom Line

May the fourth be with you! Temperatures across New Jersey have been stuck below normal for exactly a week. But that all changes over the next two days, and we get a taste of gorgeous early May weather. Both Monday and Tuesday will be mostly sunny and seasonably warm. Wildfire danger will be elevated a bit due to dry conditions and wind speeds in the breezy to windy range. Our next period of inclement weather will be a double shot of rain coming midweek, on Wednesday and Thursday. It will turn cloudier and cooler too. Temperatures should slowly rebound as skies clear by the Mother’s Day Weekend.

Weather Hazards

The combination of dry brush, fairly low relative humidity, and breezy to windy conditions will lead to elevated wildfire danger for Monday and Tuesday.

Thunderstorms are possible on Wednesday, although organized severe weather seems unlikely.

Climatological Context

May 4 is the 127th day of 2026. With seven weeks to go until the Summer Solstice, days continue to get longer and longer. We are now seeing sunrises before 6 a.m. And by the end of the week, sunsets will slide later than 8 p.m., yielding 14 hours of daily daylight.

Normal high temperatures here in early May are about 69 or 70 degrees across New Jersey. Normal lows range from 48 to 50 degrees.

On average, May is New Jersey’s 5th warmest, 5th driest, and 8th snowiest month of the year.

Monday

If I had to paint my vision of a perfect early May day — or really a perfect day at any time of year — it would look very close to Monday’s forecast. A nice, crisp, cool morning. A seasonably warm afternoon. With lots of sunshine and dry weather.

High temperatures are forecast to reach the lower 70s, our first near-normal day in exactly a week. You may need a jacket early on, but certainly not by midday into the afternoon.

Monday evening looks pleasant too, with clear and comfortable conditions overnight. Low temperatures will dip into the mid 50s.

Tuesday

Another spectacular spring weather day, although even windier and even warmer. Gusts may approach 30 mph, keeping the warm air moving around.

Sunshine will still dominate the sky, although some clouds will build by dinnnertime.

High temperatures on Tuesday will make a run for 80 degrees. Easily the warmest day of the week.

Wednesday

New Jersey’s weather will go in the other direction on Wednesday, as our next storm system comes into view. A period of scattered showers and thunderstorms is looking likely right in the middle of the day Wednesday. Total rainfall will probably be about a quarter-inch.

It is not going to rain all day, so outdoor activities are not a total washout. However, everyone in the state will get wet at some point.

Wednesday will be mostly cloudy to overcast, and therefore cooler by default. High temperatures will probably end up in the 60s. There will be some variety there, depending on the timing, duration, and intensity of the rain. I would not rule out a few 70s sneaking in, especially if peeks of sunshine develop around late afternoon.

Thursday & Beyond

One more push of rainy weather is expected on Thursday. So far model guidance has put this wet weather over New Jersey in the morning and midday hours. However, I can not rule out a final shove of rain late Thursday evening. Highs should come down even more, to the late 50s.

Friday starts to slowly warm back up again, into the 60s. Saturday carries a chance for showers, especially in the morning and especially to the north. The presumably next “pleasant” and/or “seasonable” day in the forecast would be Sunday — which just happens to be Mother’s Day.

5 DAY FORECAST: New Jersey Weather Center

Significant or historical events in New Jersey for May (in chronological order)

Here are some of the historical or significant events that impacted New Jersey or happened in the Garden State during the month of May. Is there an event missing? Let us know with an email to dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

Gallery Credit: Dan Alexander

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

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