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Highland Lakes is a natural lake located in New Jersey.
Updated
No active alerts for this lake as of the last check (Oct 11, 1:48 PM EDT). Alerts are re-checked automatically; see the official source for updates.
Overall Poor (47/100) across 4 activities. Best right now: Sailing (57/100).
How the score is calculated →Best excellent fishing window, averaging 92/100 across these hours. Wind 0 mph from the east-southeast. Dawn hours (06:00 local). Derived from the hourly forecast; official alerts are not forecast and are checked separately.
| Metric | 5p | 6p | 7p | 8p | 9p | 10p | 11p | 12a | 1a | 2a | 3a | 4a | 5a | 6a | 7a | 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 56° | 57° | 57° | 57° | 57° | 57° | 56° | 56° | 56° | 55° | 55° | 55° | 55° | 54° | 54° | 54° | 54° | 54° | 54° | 52° | 54° | 56° | 58° | 62° |
| Wind (kts) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 9 |
| Direction | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| Gusts (kts) | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
| Precip % | 93% | 92% | 96% | 97% | 98% | 96% | 82% | 85% | 75% | 56% | 58% | 35% | 29% | 18% | 16% | 12% | 9% | 13% | 7% | 6% | 6% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Time | Temp | Wind | Gusts | Precip | Cloud | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, 1 PM EDT | 56°F | 10 mph E (90°) | 18 mph | 93% | 96% | Rain |
| Sun, 2 PM EDT | 57°F | 10 mph E (90°) | 20 mph | 92% | 95% | Rain |
| Sun, 3 PM EDT | 57°F | 10 mph E (90°) | 20 mph | 96% | 98% | Rain |
| Sun, 4 PM EDT | 57°F | 10 mph E (90°) | 21 mph | 97% | 98% | Rain |
| Sun, 5 PM EDT | 57°F | 10 mph E (90°) | 21 mph | 98% | 99% | Rain |
| Sun, 6 PM EDT | 57°F | 10 mph E (90°) | 22 mph | 96% | 98% | Rain |
| Sun, 7 PM EDT | 56°F | 10 mph E (90°) | 22 mph | 82% | 93% | Rain |
| Sun, 8 PM EDT | 56°F | 10 mph E (90°) | 20 mph | 85% | 94% | Rain |
| Sun, 9 PM EDT | 56°F | 10 mph E (90°) | 18 mph | 75% | 94% | Rain |
| Sun, 10 PM EDT | 55°F | 10 mph NE (45°) | 16 mph | 56% | 93% | Light Rain Likely |
| Sun, 11 PM EDT | 55°F | 10 mph NE (45°) | 15 mph | 58% | 92% | Light Rain Likely |
| Mon, 12 AM EDT | 55°F | 10 mph NE (45°) | 15 mph | 35% | 92% | Chance Showers And Thunderstorms |
| Mon, 1 AM EDT | 55°F | 10 mph NE (45°) | 15 mph | 29% | 92% | Chance Showers And Thunderstorms |
| Mon, 2 AM EDT | 54°F | 10 mph NE (45°) | 16 mph | 18% | 93% | Slight Chance Rain Showers |
| Mon, 3 AM EDT | 54°F | 10 mph N (0°) | 17 mph | 16% | 90% | Slight Chance Rain Showers |
| Mon, 4 AM EDT | 54°F | 10 mph N (0°) | 17 mph | 12% | 89% | Cloudy |
| Mon, 5 AM EDT | 54°F | 10 mph N (0°) | 18 mph | 9% | 93% | Cloudy |
| Mon, 6 AM EDT | 54°F | 10 mph N (0°) | 20 mph | 13% | 90% | Cloudy |
| Mon, 7 AM EDT | 54°F | 10 mph N (0°) | 18 mph | 7% | 83% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Mon, 8 AM EDT | 52°F | 10 mph N (0°) | 20 mph | 6% | 75% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Mon, 9 AM EDT | 54°F | 10 mph N (0°) | 18 mph | 6% | 54% | Partly Sunny |
| Mon, 10 AM EDT | 56°F | 10 mph N (0°) | 18 mph | 0% | 49% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 11 AM EDT | 58°F | 5 mph N (0°) | 18 mph | 0% | 38% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 12 PM EDT | 62°F | 10 mph N (0°) | 17 mph | 0% | 38% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 1 PM EDT | 65°F | 10 mph N (0°) | 16 mph | 0% | 27% | Mostly Sunny |
Official National Weather Service hourly forecast. Showing 10 of 25 hours. Wind arrows point the way the wind is blowing; the compass point and degrees show where it comes from.
| Period | This Afternoon October 11, 2026 | Tonight October 11, 2026 | Columbus Day October 12, 2026 | Monday Night October 12, 2026 | Tuesday October 13, 2026 | Tuesday Night October 13, 2026 | Wednesday October 14, 2026 | Wednesday Night October 14, 2026 | Thursday October 15, 2026 | Thursday Night October 15, 2026 | Friday October 16, 2026 | Friday Night October 16, 2026 | Saturday October 17, 2026 | Saturday Night October 17, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 57° | 52° | 68° | 51° | 68° | 59° | 69° | 48° | 61° | 45° | 61° | 45° | 53° | 35° |
| Wind | E 10 mph | NE 10 mph | N 5 to 10 mph | W 0 to 5 mph | S 0 to 5 mph | SW 5 mph | W 5 to 10 mph | NW 5 mph | N 0 to 5 mph | E 0 to 5 mph | S 5 mph | W 5 to 15 mph | NW 10 to 15 mph | NW 10 mph |
| Gusts | 25 mph | 25 mph | 20 mph | 14 mph | 17 mph | 21 mph | 21 mph | 18 mph | 18 mph | 12 mph | 23 mph | 29 mph | 31 mph | 25 mph |
| Precip % | 98% | 96% | 13% | 0% | 6% | 20% | 12% | 9% | 9% | 26% | 57% | 47% | 33% | 17% |
| Forecast |
Nearby river temperature: 61.7°F at Ramapo River above dam at Pompton Lakes NJ (17.0 mi away) · Oct 11, 5:30 PM UTC
Poor for fishing (38/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the east. Sky is overcast (96% cloud cover). Working against it: 93% chance of precipitation is likely. The forecast mentions thunderstorms, which carries a risk penalty. Not available from a verified source for this lake: pressure trend, water temperature. Confidence is moderate (74%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Poor for boating (49/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: No active official alerts for this lake. Wind 10 mph from the east. Working against it: 93% chance of precipitation is likely. The forecast mentions thunderstorms, which carries a risk penalty. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility and conditions, verified water access. Confidence is moderate (84%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Fair for sailing (57/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the E is in the preferred sailing range. No active official alerts for this lake. Working against it: 93% chance of precipitation is likely. The forecast mentions thunderstorms, which carries a risk penalty. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility. Confidence is high (88%).
Poor for kayaking (49/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the east. No active official alerts for this lake. Working against it: 93% chance of precipitation is likely. The forecast mentions thunderstorms, which carries a risk penalty. Confidence is high (90%).
Water temperature is not available from a verified source for this lake. No swimming score is shown without it.
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Individual boat ramp GPS coordinates are maintained under the jurisdiction of NJ Parks & Wildlife Authority. Public boaters should verify seasonal launch water levels, gate hours, and daily vehicle/vessel fees before traveling.
Highland Lakes provides vital open-water recreation for visitors across NJ, offering public boat ramps and scenic shoreline amenities. Anglers target an assortment of freshwater species while pleasure boaters cruise its open basins. Facility operations and resource conservation are overseen by state and local natural resource agencies.
Valid freshwater sport fishing license issued by New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife is required for anglers age 16+. Digital license on mobile is accepted.
Current motorized watercraft registration mandatory. Practice Clean, Drain & Dry protocols: drain all livewells and inspect props before launching. Life jackets required for all passengers.
Public shoreline and boating access managed by State & Local Authorities. Verify seasonal gate hours, launch fees, and parking rules before travel.
Low-wake cruising, electric-troll fishing craft, and quiet-water exploration. Target gamefish include Common Carp, Black Crappie, Yellow Perch, Brook Trout. Morning hours typically provide optimal glassy conditions for kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) touring.
Warm water temperatures, peak swimming, active watersports, and open full-service campgrounds. Highest weekly attendance; plan early arrivals on summer weekends.
Spring pre-spawn and fall feeding transitions create prime trophy angling conditions. Cooler air, lower boat traffic, and vibrant seasonal shoreline foliage.
Mild year-round outdoor climate. Uncrowded waters, active winter bass and crappie fishing, and open year-round boat launch access.
NWS API Web Service · License: U.S. Government work · Attribution: Data provided by the National Weather Service (api.weather.gov)
Updated
Scores are heuristics, not safety guarantees. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
All telemetry for Highland Lakes is synchronized directly from authorized federal and state monitoring networks (USGS, NWS, NOAA, and state environmental authorities). Observations are strictly instrumented readings — unmonitored sensors are transparently disclosed rather than synthetic estimates.
Last source audit: Oct 11, 1:48 PM EDT