Essex Fells, New Jersey climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Essex Fells's normal year runs from 21°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 48.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.4°C, January lows of −6°C, July highs of 30°C, 1,235 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationEssex Fells Service Bldg
- Station IDUSC00282768
- Location40.83°N 74.29°W
- Elevation350 ft (107 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population2,220
On October 14, the normal high in Essex Fells is 66°F and the normal low 43°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Essex Fells.
- Jan 38° 21°
- Feb 41° 23°
- Mar 49° 30°
- Apr 63° 40°
- May 72° 49°
- Jun 81° 59°
- Jul 86° 64°
- Aug 84° 63°
- Sep 78° 54°
- Oct 65° 43°
- Nov 53° 34°
- Dec 43° 27°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Essex Fells each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 21°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.80 in), the least in February (2.93 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F | 21°F | 29.9°F | 3.64 | – | <1 | 27 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 41°F | 23°F | 31.7°F | 2.93 | – | <1 | 24 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 49°F | 30°F | 39.6°F | 4.16 | – | <1 | 20 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 63°F | 40°F | 51.2°F | 4.08 | – | <1 | 5 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 72°F | 49°F | 60.6°F | 4.04 | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 81°F | 59°F | 69.7°F | 4.60 | – | 3 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 86°F | 64°F | 74.9°F | 4.80 | – | 7 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 84°F | 63°F | 73.3°F | 4.47 | – | 6 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 78°F | 54°F | 65.9°F | 4.53 | – | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 43°F | 54.0°F | 4.31 | – | <1 | 4 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 53°F | 34°F | 43.7°F | 3.64 | – | <1 | 14 | 10 h |
| December | 43°F | 27°F | 35.3°F | 3.41 | – | <1 | 24 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 42°F | 52.5°F | 48.61 | – | 20 | 118 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −6°C | −1.2°C | 92 mm |
| February | 5°C | −5°C | −0.2°C | 74 mm |
| March | 10°C | −1°C | 4.2°C | 106 mm |
| April | 17°C | 4°C | 10.7°C | 104 mm |
| May | 22°C | 9°C | 15.9°C | 103 mm |
| June | 27°C | 15°C | 20.9°C | 117 mm |
| July | 30°C | 18°C | 23.8°C | 122 mm |
| August | 29°C | 17°C | 22.9°C | 114 mm |
| September | 25°C | 12°C | 18.8°C | 115 mm |
| October | 18°C | 6°C | 12.2°C | 109 mm |
| November | 12°C | 1°C | 6.5°C | 92 mm |
| December | 6°C | −3°C | 1.8°C | 87 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Canoe Brook (7 miles away), gets 24 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00282768; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Essex Fells?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August, September and October.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00282768.
When is the last frost in Essex Fells?
In Essex Fells, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 18 in half of years and after May 7 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 24 in half of years and before October 8 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 181 year in 10 after May 7; 9 in 10 after April 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 241 year in 10 before October 8; 9 in 10 before November 6
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 187 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 212 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 3 in half of springs and before November 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Essex Fells in zone 7a in ZIP code 07021.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New Jersey · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00282768; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Essex Fells?
In a normal year in Essex Fells, 20 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 118 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 20a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 118a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 22high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1903) is 105°F, on August 10, 2001; the lowest is −14°F, on January 21, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1975, with 68.75 in; the snowiest season is 1968–69, with 45.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00282768; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00282768. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Essex Fells?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Essex Fells, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (66%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 68% | 1.9 |
| February | 71% | 2.8 |
| March | 69% | 3.7 |
| April | 71% | 4.8 |
| May | 70% | 5.4 |
| June | 76% | 6.0 |
| July | 80% | 6.0 |
| August | 78% | 5.2 |
| September | 76% | 4.3 |
| October | 71% | 3.0 |
| November | 72% | 2.2 |
| December | 66% | 1.6 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Essex Fells need?
A normal year in Essex Fells brings 5,437 heating degree days, 1% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 908 cooling degree days, 0% more than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,247 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,089 | 0 |
| February | 931 | 0 |
| March | 788 | 0 |
| April | 422 | 8 |
| May | 178 | 42 |
| June | 31 | 170 |
| July | 1 | 308 |
| August | 4 | 262 |
| September | 79 | 106 |
| October | 354 | 12 |
| November | 639 | 0 |
| December | 921 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,437 | 908 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00282768. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Essex Fells's climate compare?
Essex Fells is warmer than 8 of the other 32 places with their own NOAA record in New Jersey, and wetter than 16. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.5°F is warmer than 52%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Essex Fells is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Essex Fells share this climate record?
3 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Roseland, NJ6,370 people · 1 mi SW
- Pleasantdale, NJ2,293 people · 2 mi S
- Llewellyn Park, NJ536 people · 4 mi SE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Essex Fells's climate
What is the coldest month in Essex Fells?
January, with a normal high of 38°F and a normal low of 21°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 64°F at night).
Does it snow in Essex Fells?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Essex Fells's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Canoe Brook (7 miles away), records 24 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Essex Fells?
July, with 4.80 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.93 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Essex Fells in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Essex Fells in zone 7a in ZIP code 07021.
How late can frost come in Essex Fells?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 18; in one year in ten it comes after May 7. Waiting until May 7 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- New Jersey climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Caldwell, NJ3 miles from this station, 53.1°F a year
- Little Falls, NJ5 miles from this station, 53.1°F a year
- Canoe Brook, NJ7 miles from this station, 53.3°F a year
- Boonton, NJ7 miles from this station, 51.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made