A new report in the Washington Post states that New Jersey is one of the fastest warming areas in the United States.

New Jerseyans may have noticed that recently it seems as if summers have felt hotter and winters do not feel as cold. Climatologist says that they may be a good reason for this.

“I believe it has something to do with the proximity to the coast, and the ocean waters have warmed,” says state climatologist Dr. David Robinson.

Robinson says that the oceans hold on to the warmth, which spills over onto the coast.

New Jersey has warmed by 2 or 3 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 100 years. Scientists say that most of this warming has occurred in the last 30 years and that there is a reason for some concern.

“There has been nothing close to a decrease. we're just talking about the subtleties of how much warming has occurred and it’s been extreme in all areas of the state,” Robinson says.

The immediate impacts of the warming include more coastal flooding and warmer nights. But Robinson says that it does not necessarily translate into a quiet winter.

“We can pop some pretty impressive snowstorms here in New Jersey…We're not going to be out of winter anytime soon,” he says.

State records show that despite the increase in temperatures, the snowfall rates have remained the same in New Jersey.