One line of severe storms has rolled across New Jersey with another headed for parts of New Jersey.

Flooding on Black Horse Pike
Flooding on Black Horse Pike (WMGM TV)
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The National Weather Service has issued  a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of Ocean, Gloucester, Camden, Salem, Cumberland & Atlantic counties until 6:45 p.m. for a storm headed east at 50 mph with 60 mph winds and hail.

There is also a line of storms moving across north Jersey with 40 mph winds and heavy rain falling at the rate off 1 inch per hour.

The NWS' Mt. Holly office, which covers most of New Jersey, says in their latest briefing about the storms that the threat for wide spread severe weather has “diminished.”

Only rain showers and isolated severe thunderstorms are expected for the rest of the day. The Flash Flood Watch has been discontinued.
The first round brought near-continuous lightning strikes, thunder, heavy rain and winds up to 60 MPH, along with some power outages. Hail and a wind gust of 57 MPH was reported in Woodbury while 4 utility poles were knocked down on Morton Avenue in Deerfield.

The State Emergency Operations Center was activated at 8:00 this morning and will remain open as long as conditions dictate. With the activation in place, extra staff is on hand and the state is prepared to handle resource requests.

Downed power lines on Morton Avenue in Bridgeton
Downed power lines on Morton Avenue in Bridgeton (Jersey Shore Hurricane News via Facebook)
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“This is a complex storm, and a complex forecast due to the amount of rain we’ve recently experienced,” said Colonel Rick Fuentes, State Police Superintendent and Director of the NJ Office of Emergency Management.

"It's a fast-moving storm and a fast-moving system," added OEM's Mary Goepfert, who warned drivers to avoid traveling through standing water.

"You can't see how deep that water is, or worse, if the road is out underneath," she said.

 

The storm's latest:

6:30 p.m - Severe Thunderstorm Warning in effect for Ocean County

6:15 p.m. - There is also a line of storms moving across north Jersey with 40 mph winds and heavy rain falling at the rate off 1 inch per hour.

6:00 p.m.The National Weather Service has issued  a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of Gloucester, Camden, Salem, Cumberland & Atlantic counties until 6:45 p.m. for a storm headed east at 50 mph with 60 mph winds and hail.

3:51 p.m. - The The National Weather Service's Mt. Holly office, which covers most of New Jersey, says in their briefing about the storms that the threat for wide spread severe weather has "diminished." Only rain showers and isolated severe thunderstorms are expected for the rest of the day. The Flash Flood Watch has been discontinued.

3:50 p.m. - The National Weather Service's New York office has cancelled a Flood Watch for Bergen,Sussex, Essex and Bergen counties.

3:25 p.m. - UPDATED outgae numbers:  1,560 Atlantic City Electric customers without power and  42 JCP&L customers. PSE&G also reports outages across the state


3:00 p.m.
: Cape May County Zoo and Cape May County Park are closed due to fallen trees. Atlantic Cape Community College closed after 3:30 p.m.

12:32 p.m. - TheLakewoodScoop.com posted footage of lightning striking the Lakewood building housing Kars4Kids. "“There was a loud blast and all the lights went out,” said one employee.

12:07 p.m. - Most of the state is back under a Flood Watch following the morning storm. Belmar is using pumps to lower the level of Silver Lake & Lake Como which has already come down a foot since the operation began but some areas of town may experience "significant flooding." Ocean Avenue remains closed between 5th & 8th Avenue.

11:16 a.m (UPDATED) -  6,100 7335 Atlantic City Electric customers without power and just under 600 1,092JCP&L customers. PSE&G also reports outages across the state

Dark clouds over the Little Egg Harbor Sports Complex
Dark clouds over the Little Egg Harbor Sports Complex (Shawn Michaels, Townsquare Media NJ)
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11:00  a.m. - Shore Area News Dispatch (S.A.N.D) Facebook page reports a lightning strike in Bayville and another at the Ridgeway Firehouse Station in Manchester.

10:55 a.m. - Newark Airport has 2 hour delays; LaGuardia 90 minutes, JFK 30 minutes and Philadelphia 60 minutes according to the FAA.

10:18 a.m.Severe Thunderstorm Warning extended to Ocean County as storm continues to move east with 60 mph winds and heavy rain.

 9:20 a.m. Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for Camden, Gloucester, Burlington, Atlantic, Salem & Cumberland. Storms contain heavy rain, nearly continuous cloud-to-ground lightning,  damaging winds of 60 MPH and one-inch diameter hail.

9:13 a.m. - A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect as a line of storms crosses New Jersey. The National Weather Service reports a ground strike in Passaic County

7:30 a.m. - A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for all of southern & central New Jersey until 11 a.m. A strong line of thunderstorms producing brief periods of torrential rain in central Pennsylvania is moving east.

What can New Jersey expect today?

  • Heavy Rain: Rain develops in the morning with locally strong thunderstorms with strong wings and heavier rains developing especially in central and southern counties.The saturated soil increases the chances of trees being uprooted and falling on powerlines and homes.  Rainfall amounts of 1-4" are expected to fall on Thursday.
  • Flooding: A Flood Watchis in effect until late tonight for most of the state except Atlantic,Cape May & Cumberland Counties over concerns the expected 1-4 inches of rain will increase the chances for flooding on rivers & streams already running high thanks to Monday's rain. Minor flooding along the Raritan & Passaic is possible. Poor drainage areas and roads that flood easily are also likely to collect water fairly quickly.
  • Severe Weather: Large hail, strong damaging winds, and tornadoes could develop in some thunderstorms. The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center has south Jersey at a slight risk for severe weather today. Tornadoes have the potential to be stronger than usual in New Jersey. "The trouble is we’re talking about a pretty strong low pressure system that has a lot of energy and moisture to work with," state climatologist at Rutgers University David Robinson told the Star Ledger.


NJ Transit is cross honoring tickets on bus, rail, light rail and private bus carriers all day today.

The storms last night brought hail, lightning and tornadoes to the midwest. Two twisters have been reported in northern Iowa and several more in Illinois. Forecasters say the storms could affect more than one in five Americans from Iowa to Maryland before they subside.

 

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Share your pictures of the storm by using the form below or emailing to Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com


Townsquare Media's Dino Flammia contributed to this report.

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