NJ Swelters, Temps Will Reach Triple Digits Today [POLL/AUDIO]

For the second day in a row, New Jersey residents are dealing with heat and humidity that feels like triple-digit temperatures.

Not much relief was felt after the heat wave began Wednesday, as temperatures remained in the 70s in most spots last night.

Middlesex County resident Toniann Catalano may have best explained the feelings of most New Jerseyans as she exited the supermarket. “Hot, hot, hot…time to go in the pool,” she exclaimed.

“I think it’s completely ridiculous,” said a fellow shopper. “It was a really mild winter, and now we’re in a heat wave.”

A few parking lanes away, shopper Diane Cacio was fine with the aggressive start to summer.

“I can deal with it,” Cacio said. “I think it’s hard for the elderly, though.”

With a heat advisory, or worse, across New Jersey, the National Weather Service advised people to keep a close eye on senior citizens, people with health problems and children.

Perhaps a special warning should go out to the folks whose jobs are outdoors (the warning – “don’t work too hard).

With a tiny fan blowing in his United States Postal Service truck, Thomas Mariano said, “You sit in here, and you just get no relief.”

Mariano said he tries his best not to think about it, and that’s how he gets through the hot days.

“Hopefully some people give me something to drink,” he continued.

Chris Heulitt, a groundsman preparing for the Manalapan High School graduation ceremony Wednesday night, predicted the upcoming summer will be a brutal one for him and his crew.

“It’s damn hot out here. It’s only going to get hotter,” he said. “You really get used to it, but it is nice to hit an (air conditioned) room everyone once in a while.”

A young shopping cart collector at a nearby grocery store said he’s getting paid to do what he does, so he can’t complain.

“I put up with it…tough it out like a man,” he joked.

• HEAT WAVE SURVIVAL GUIDE

When asked if they’d prefer a day like today or the middle of December, Garden State residents offered some unexpected answers:

“Give me the cold any day.”

“I would pick a 45-degree day over this.”

“I like the cool weather.”

“Definitely winter.”

Some folks did choose a summer day over a cold one, but they were in the minority.