By Nicole Rosenthal, Patch staff
NEW JERSEY – Severe thunderstorms, ferocious winds, and a chance of tornadoes are in the cards for the Garden State today. But when will nasty weather strike the region?
As of Thursday at 3 p.m., New Jersey is under a severe weather outlook per the National Weather Service, with “scattered severe storms expected” across the state. Portions of northwestern New Jersey, including Warren, Hunterdon, and Sussex counties, have been upgraded to “enhanced risk” status in which “numerous severe storms” are expected.
Major storms aren’t expected to begin hitting the state until 4 p.m., although lighter storms could trek through the state sooner.
“Damaging winds will be an ongoing threat, but it should also be mentioned rainfall could be quite heavy and this could result in at least urban, small stream, and poor drainage flooding,” the National Weather Service said in a forecast discussion Thursday morning.
“In coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic from northeastern North Carolina to New York City and the Hudson Valley, most of the day [Thursday] may be free of thunderstorms with windy and warmer conditions,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. “It may take until the [Thursday] evening rush hour or perhaps a bit later for any severe thunderstorm to hit in these coastal locations of the Northeast,” he added.
Here’s what’s expected to happen:
- Strong to severe storms with localized wind gusts up to 60 mph are expected to be ushered into the state around 4 p.m. today, starting from the state’s western border.
- The I-95 corridor should see storms pick up by 7 p.m., while the Jersey Shore will see thunderstorms starting around 10 p.m. until around midnight. Tornadoes and flash flooding are both possible during this time period, per the National Weather Service.
- Thunderstorms will move offshore after 3 a.m. on Friday, although a chance of showers will still linger through Friday afternoon. Friday is expected to be partly sunny with a high approaching the upper 50s. However, winds can gust up to 30 mph.
Previous storm post:
Murphy says delay your Friday morning commute as storm is set to bring ice, snow
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