The calendar may say April, but Mother Nature is giving New Jersey another taste of summerlike vibes this week. Monday will be just as breezy as Sunday, but it will be a warming wind this time around. Temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees warmer, with highs around 75 to 80 degrees. Clouds will win the sky, and a few quick hit-or-miss rain showers are possible during the day. Tuesday trends even warmer, with highs reaching into the 80s for most of the state. (Although do not plan on making it a beach day, as coastal communities will be held to the 60s thanks to the chilly ocean and bay water.) Widespread 80s are expected for Wednesday and Thursday too, with minimal rain chances. Warm weather will carry into the start of the weekend, with our next cold front set to arrive on Sunday.

Monday NJ weather: 10 to 20 degrees warmer, spotty showers

The past week has been quiet, but relatively cool. You can not deny that New Jersey’s weather has been pleasant. And definitely dry — drought concerns continue to spiral, and wildfire danger remains high. (Although the latter issue will get slightly better later this week as humidity goes up and wind speeds go down.)

Monday will be just as windy as Sunday. But this time around, it will be a warming wind. So temperatures will trend 10 to 20 degrees warmer, as we flip back to summerlike weather for a majority of the state this week.

While you may need a light jacket or sweater early Monday, you can ditch it soon enough. High temperatures Monday afternoon will reach about 75 to 80 degrees around the state. It will be quite breezy, with southwesterly gusts peaking around 30+ mph. Expect more clouds than sun throughout the day.

In addition, a few spot showers may develop as temperatures warm, in the midday and afternoon hours. Just a few brief spurts of light raindrops, not amounting to much.

As skies clear Monday night, it will remain mild and comfortable. Low temperatures will only dip to around 60 degrees overnight.

Tuesday NJ weather: Even warmer, but not for everyone

Tuesday will be even warmer, with high temperatures soaring into the lower 80s for most of the state. It will be mostly to partly sunny, with breezy conditions continuing.

It will feel almost summerlike. I have to say almost because the Jersey Shore will end up considerably cooler. Oceans and bays are still quite cold at this point of the season, with water temperatures around 50 to 55 degrees. That will have a big cooling effect on air temperatures in coastal communities. So just keep in mind if you are thinking about a beach day this week — while inland areas will surge toward hot 90 degree temps, the Shore will be closer to 60.

Wednesday NJ weather: Feeling summerlike

Another very way, summer-ish day. Expect a mix of sun and clouds, with high temperatures in the mid 80s. This will be our first shot of seeing 90+ degrees somewhere in New Jersey this year.

There is a chance for a popup thunderstorm late-day Wednesday, especially to the north.

Thursday NJ weather: More 80s

The warm, dry conditions continue on Thursday, with widespread 80s on thermometers across the Garden State once again.

Temperatures will slide back slightly, with 70s and 80s will carrying through the start of the weekend. There will be some clouds and maybe a stray shower around on Friday, but again temperatures will be unseasonably warm.

Our next big weathermaker will be a cold front arriving on Sunday. That will deliver our next chance of widespread rain — although a wholesale soaking would be great, keep your expectations low for a nice, healthy drought-buster.

Behind that front will come cooler air. By Monday morning, we could be back in frost territory, with morning lows in the 20s and 30s. Afternoon highs will turn more seasonable for early next week, in the lower to mid 60s or so.

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

Yeison Cortes Vasquez was back at his church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on Sunday, one day after being released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

Why Pastor Vasquez was detained

Vasquez was detained back on March 20, with the Department of Homeland Security saying he had overstayed his tourist visa from Colombia that expired in 2016.

In a recent statement, the agency said, “Cortes Vasquez has been released on bond with a GPS monitor while he undergoes further removal proceedings. He will receive full due process.”

Enid Almanzar, a fellow pastor with the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, said ICE detainments have ravaged the Latino church community.

“We’ve seen anywhere from a 30% to an even 80% drop in attendance because people are just simply afraid to come out,” Almanzar said.

“God had a purpose”  

Vazquez’s parishioners at The Gathering Place in Elizabeth were relieved to see their pastor return to Sunday service.

Speaking through a translator, Vasquez said of his time being detained, “I cried a lot for my wife and daughters and my church, but God had a purpose.”

Vasquez read part of a letter he wrote to his church community while detained at Delaney Hall. The father of three shared that he was head of discipleship and bible study at the ICE detention facility.

“A thousand and a thousand thank you for taking care of my daughters and my wife,” Vasquez said.

“It’s a feeling you just can’t explain”  

Parishioners were overjoyed to see Vasquez, saying his absence was deeply felt since he was detained on March 20 while working his day job in food delivery. His community rallied and helped him get legal counsel.

“We all cried today at the service. Like, everyone cried,” Margarita Lainez said.

“It’s a feeling you just can’t explain,” Guido Rodriguez added.

While parishioners say their prayers have been answered, the pastor, himself, told them to “keep praying that [they] are still at the detention center.”

He is also asking the faithful to pray for the authorities. 

At least six people were shot, including one fatally, at a fast-food chain restaurant in Union Township, New Jersey, on Saturday night, according to preliminary reports.

The Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan reference resource, listed the reported shooting at the Chick-fil-A restaurant in the 2300 block of Route 22 as the 100th mass shooting documented in the US this year, as of Sunday. The archive defines mass shootings as cases in which four or more victims are wounded or killed.

As cited by the archive, New Jersey-based news outlet RLS Media reported that Saturday’s shooting erupted inside or near the Chick-fil-A location at about 8.40pm. Five people whose conditions were not immediately known were taken to hospitals after the shooting, and one was pronounced dead on the scene. Dozens of patrons – meanwhile – scrambled to safety during the violence, according to RLS Media’s reporting, which attributed the victim information to officials.

WABC of nearby New York City reported that employees of the eatery were still inside after 11pm on Saturday, and their family members waited outside. One man who was waiting told a reporter for the outlet that his son, a Chick-fil-A employee, had said several of his co-workers were wounded in the shooting after multiple masked people entered the restaurant.

It was a “war zone”, the father added, according to WABC.

WABC also spoke with a ridesharing service driver who described hearing seven shots as he completed a trip nearby at the time of the attack.

Both WABC and RLS Media reported that the local county prosecutor’s office was investigating the mass shooting. Authorities had not immediately released details about a suspect, a possible motive or any arrests.

The New Jersey governor, Mikie Sherrill, published a statement on the social media platform X on Sunday in which she said she had been “briefed on the shooting last night in Union Township”.

“As local law enforcement continues their investigation, we remain in close contact with officials on the ground,” Sherrill’s post said. “My thoughts are with those who were injured in the shooting, and with their families.”

The US annually reports high numbers of mass shootings, particularly when compared with other high-income countries. Many in the US have therefore called for more substantial gun control, though Congress has been unable or unwilling to heed those pleas.

Union Township has a population of about 60,000. It is about 17 miles west of New York City.