Will Hurricane Franklin path, Idalia storm affect Labor Day in NJ?

Prepare those grills and finish packing your beach bags. Meteorologists expect beautiful weather this Labor Day weekend in North Jersey and along the Jersey Shore.

The forecast — at least for now — appears to be dry and warm, with temperatures in the high 70s most of the holiday weekend. Thermometers could reach past 80 in New York City and neighboring areas on Sunday, according to Mike Lee, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service station in Mount Holly.

Beach-goers need to be cautious, though. With Hurricane Franklin expected to head northeast, and Tropical Storm Idalia intensifying into a hurricane, potentially dangerous rip currents could develop. Rip currents can be life-threatening, so people should only swim in areas marked for such activity and listen to lifeguards who can spot the rip currents.

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The storms could cause some dune erosion, but the hurricanes' exact impacts "are still up in the air," said National Weather Service Meteorologist Bryan Ramsey, based in Upton, New York.

It does not appear New Jersey will experience direct impacts from the two storms.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters predicted earlier this month that the Atlantic Ocean region will see above-normal tropical storm activity ahead. The Atlantic hurricane season runs to Nov. 30.

New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson said record-high surface temperatures for the Atlantic Ocean could make hurricanes this fall more likely.

Even if a storm doesn’t directly impact the state, their aftermath could cause damage. Remnants of Hurricane Ida left a destructive path in the Northeast in 2021.