Christmas Week Storm In Barnegat, Manahawkin: Here's The Forecast

BARNEGAT, NJ — Severe weather is expected to hit Barnegat and Manahawkin on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, packing strong 70-mph winds that could cause power outages.

The National Weather Service placed Barnegat under a high wind warning for Christmas Eve and morning — 6 p.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday. At this time, there are no coastal flooding warnings in effect for this storm system.

Forecasters expect about 1-2 inches of rain by Thursday night. Gusts could peak at 70 mph on Christmas Eve.

Here are the wind estimates across New Jersey:

Here is the NWS forecast for Barnegat as of 4 p.m. Wednesday:

• Thursday: A chance of rain, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
• Thursday night: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Steady temperature around 57. Windy, with a south wind 25 to 30 mph increasing to 30 to 35 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 65 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
• Christmas Day: Rain showers before 5pm, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers. High near 53. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

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