JACKSON — The clouds from approaching thunderstorms were ominous as power was knocked out at Six Flags Great Adventure on Monday afternoon.

Most of the rides at the theme park and sister Hurricane Harbor in Jackson were closed as the storms rolled in around 4:30 p.m., according to park spokeswoman Kristin Fitzgerald. She would not disclose how many people were in the park at the time, but said just three indoor attractions were still open, which took five minutes to offload.

No injuries were reported at the park because of the power outage, according to FItzgerald.

Fitzgerald said the Six Flags expects to be open as scheduled on Tuesday.

New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said that numerous trees fell in Burlington County, just to the west of Jackson, on Monday from a storm with top wind gusts over 70 mph.

"Park-wide power outages are very serious, as every single ride has to be unloaded wherever it stopped. Most attractions can not be restarted with guests until safety checks are redone," Zarrow, a former Six Flags ride operator, said.

Fitzgerald said that safety checks are performed routinely every morning, but also in the event a ride is stopped sometime during the day.

The solar panels at the park do not generate power to the park, according to Fitzgerald.

"The solar we produce goes into the electrical grid, and we pull from the grid. That way on cloudy days there is no lapse in power. Therefore, we still rely on JCP&L for power," Fitzgerald said.

Dark clouds over Six Flags Great Adventure
Dark clouds over Six Flags Great Adventure (Matthew Allsbrook)
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Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.

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