New Jersey
Will the NJ drought cancel your deep-fried turkey tradition? We asked and found out
2-minute read
Thanksgiving turkey deep frying can get dangerous very quickly
Deep frying a turkey is dangerous. Here are tips from fire safety experts to avoid burning down your house.
Michael V. Pettigano, Rebecca King and Paul Wood Jr, NorthJersey.com
Deep-frying a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner can be a tradition for some, a risky adventure for others and a generally bad idea for many.
News of quick-spreading oil fires followed a deep-frying fad that spread from the South and across the country a generation or so ago, as first-time fryers frequently overloaded their outdoor containers, causing hot oil to spill or ignite when it hit a propane burner.
So given the extraordinary drought conditions and elevated fire risk in New Jersey as Thanksgiving approaches, and with firefighters battling wildfires across the state, we felt it reasonable to ask if it was safe — or even legal — to fire up your backyard deep-fryer for the holiday?
Jeffrey Paul, director of the Morris County Office of Emergency Management, said the law says you can do it, but for Pete’s sake, “safety first!”
“The issue of frying turkeys as we get closer to Thanksgiving is not restricted since the cooking is done with propane and not an open burn,” Paul said. “This, however, does not mean that anyone frying a turkey should not be using extreme caution.”
Deep-fried turkey dangers
Even during normal weather conditions, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and injuries in the United States, and the top two days cooking fires start are Thanksgiving and the day before, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
An estimated 1,160 home cooking fires were reported to officials across the country on Thanksgiving Day 2021, a 297% increase over the daily average, according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association. That year, emergency personnel responded to about 170,000 home cooking fires nationally, according to data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
With an elevated fire risk during a record period of drought, New Jersey firefighters are hoping for a break and a quiet holiday, free of alarms.
“As you are well aware, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service as well as our mutual aid coordinators and fire departments throughout Morris County and throughout New Jersey have been extremely busy fighting wild land fires and the fire risk still remains high,” Paul said. “All warnings, precautions and restrictions remain in place.”
Deep-fried turkey directives
To that end, Paul offers the following tips for a safe and succulent Thanksgiving:
- Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors, a safe distance from buildings and any other flammable materials. “The location where you choose to cook the turkey should be free of anything that has the potential to burn,” Paul said.
- Never use turkey fryers under an overhang, in a garage or on a wooden deck.
- Make sure the fryers are used on a flat surface to reduce the likelihood of accidental tipping.
- Safety first!
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New Jersey
Tolls to rise again on NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway in 2025
Attention drivers using New Jersey roads, tolls are about to go up again on two major highways next year.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority approved a 2025 budget that includes a three percent increase to tolls on the turnpike and the Garden State Parkway.
According to a spokesperson with the authority, the annual Turnpike toll will go up by 16 cents. Some examples include:
- From Interchange 4 to Interchange 7A to go up by 10 cents
- From Interstate 95 through Interchange 6 to the Newark airport (Interchange 13A) will go up by 30 cents
- To travel south from Interchange 4 to the Delaware Memorial Bridge will go up 13 cents
Officials said that the tolls at the main plazas on the Parkway will go up by eight cents. Some of those include:
- Cape May
- Great Egg
- Sommers Point
Meanwhile, tolls at Parkway ramp plazas will go up by just three cents.
The increase goes into effect for both roads on Jan. 1.
This is the fourth increase since the Turnpike Authority board approved annual toll hikes back in 2020.
New Jersey
Light snow expected for part of N.J. after rounds of heavy rain. Latest forecast.
New Jersey will get a good soaking of rain starting Wednesday night that will put a dent in the drought conditions the state is experiencing after about six weeks.
North Jersey and the northern parts of Central Jersey are expected to receive 2 to 3 inches of rain by Friday with lesser amounts in the south, forecasters say.
The southern most part of the state will wind up with a half-inch to an inch of rain.
A dusting of snow is also likely in northwestern parts of the state on Thursday night into Friday, though little-to-no accumulation is expected.
Rain pushes in after 10 p.m. Wednesday following a dry day with temperatures climbing into the upper 50s and low 60s, the National Weather Service said.
Winds will gust as high as 20 to 30 mph and forecasters say 1 to 2 inches of rain is expected from the initial round by Thursday morning in northern areas with a half-inch to an inch of rain likely elsewhere.
Another quarter-inch to three-quarters of inch of rain is expected to fall during the day on Thursday in areas along and north of the Interstate 78 corridor.
Some additional rain is also likely in Central Jersey but South Jersey might not get any more rain, though, as drier air pushes into that part of the state.
Thursday will be a cooler day with mostly cloudy skies and a good chance of more rain with highs generally ranging from the upper 40s to low 50s. A cold night follows with temperatures plunging into the 30s.
Friday will be a “chilly, raw” day with showers likely and gusty winds of up to 25 mpg, the weather service said in its morning forecast discussion.
Highs will only reach the 40s before dipping into the 30s at night.
We warm up and dry out on Saturday. There will be a mix of sun and clouds with high temps in the low 50s, though gusty winds will make it feel chillier.
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday also are shaping up to be dry, sunny days with highs in the 50s.
Current weather radar
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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
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