Weather

Princeton Weather: Humid summers, coastal storms and snow

Is it going to drizzle, thunderstorm, or maybe something worse? The summers are Ivy League sauna with occasional cicadas and the winters gray skies, slush boot camp. Here's what else is going on around Princeton that will impact the time you spend outside.

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Diane Briante
Princeton Local Expert

Diane, Our Local Expert Guiding Your Move

Diane has been rooted in New Jersey since day one and has lived everywhere from Hillside to Elizabeth to Springfield before landing in Fanwood. When she and her family moved into their current place, she was very pregnant and still refused to stop lifting boxes or scrubbing things because she wanted it done right. She is the kind of New Jerseyan who can talk about Revolutionary War history, walk you through Duke Gardens, or recommend the best apple picking without checking a map. Her food loyalties are fierce, especially when it comes to pork roll on a hard roll with melted cheese, though she will happily join any naming debate. She is a lifelong reader who once tried to leave the library with more books than her card allowed. She even crossed paths with Sinatra during an honorary degree event at Stevens. At Snappy Scout she brings sharp local insight with a Jersey wink.

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Written with local insight from Snappy Scout relocation experts

What's the Weather Really Like in Princeton?

The forecast, the fashion, and the fine print locals wish someone had told them sooner.

Summer temps be like

Sweaty book club weather (upper 80s to low 90s)

Winter lows are

Tea, scarf, repeat (mid 20s, teens on cold snaps)

The humidity makes me

turn into a damp library book

Unique weather patterns

Nor'easters that slap umbrellas sideways, 3 p.m. thunderheads that clap then vanish, hurricane leftovers sneaking up the Turnpike, leaf confetti spirals in October

Local weather fashion tip

Carry a serious windproof umbrella and waterproof shoes, keep a puffer and a sunhat on the same hook

You know it's time to get out of town when

the forecast says real feel 100 and every conversation ends with see you at the Shore

Bugs be like

mosquitoes majoring in philosophy by Lake Carnegie, spotted lanternflies on your maples, ticks RSVP yes in the woods

You're stuck indoors again today because

a nor'easter is power washing Nassau Street and the wind keeps flipping umbrellas inside out

Green thumb enthusiasts love

Garden State bragging rights, tomatoes that taste like July, hydrangeas the size of globes, farm stands every weekend, just add deer fencing and patience for clay soil

Local's Q&AReal answers from someone who lives here

My Favorite Season in Princeton

I have a soft spot for winter in Princeton. If the weather cooperates, it's a picture postcard that's the perfect backdrop for some holiday shopping, a great meal or a show at the McCarter.

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— Diane Briante

New Jersey Local Expert

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