Tornado Watch In 7 Counties As Severe NJ Weather Continues

A tornado watch was in effect in 7 New Jersey counties on Friday as more severe weather is expected in New Jersey. Forecasters say 60-mph winds, and even an isolated tornado, are possible, and a lightning strike has shut a major road.

A severe thunderstorm warning was also issued for Ocean and other counties (see below).

The tornado watch will be in effect until 9 p.m. Friday night. Camden, Ocean, Burlington, Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem and Cape May counties are impacted. Ocean and Burlington were added to the list at 6 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the Jersey Shore area:

Because of a lightning strike, power lines were down and a North Jersey road was closed. Read more: Lighting Strike Downs Wires, Closes Part Of Wyckoff Avenue

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for the whole state, saying several rounds of showers and thunderstorms will affect New Jersey on Friday afternoon and will continue into the evening. Most of the storms are expected to happen between 4 and 10 p.m.

Some of the storms could be severe and produce damaging winds with isolated tornadoes also possible, according to the NWS.

The greatest risk areas for severe weather will be across southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Delaware, and portions of eastern Maryland.

New Jersey officials have issued several points regarding the tornado watch:

• Be prepared: Identify a safe place in your home
• Pick a safe place where family members can gather if a tornado is headed your way. It could be your basement or, if there is no basement, a center hallway, bathroom or closet on the lowest floor.
• Keep this place uncluttered. Make sure it is located away from windows. Know where heavy objects rest on the floor above (pianos, refrigerators, waterbeds, etc) and do not go under them – they may fall through a weakened floor.
• Be ready to shelter yourself under sturdy protection, such as a heavy table or workbench, or cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag.
• If you are in a high-rise building you may not have time to go to the lowest floor! Pick a place in a hallway in the center of the building.
• Manufactured homes are particularly vulnerable. A manufactured home can turn easily during a tornado, even if you have tied down the unit.
• When a tornado warning is issued, take shelter in a building with a strong foundation. If shelter is not available, lie in a ditch or low-lying area a safe distance away from the unit.

The quick-hitting round of thunderstorms has the potential to put lives, property and timely travel at risk from South Carolina to New Jersey and Pennsylvania on Friday, accordong to AccuWeather.

The storms will be centered on the Interstate 95 corridor but will also extend as far west as portions of I-81 in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania and to the barrier islands from North Carolina to New Jersey, according to AccuWeather.

There is also the likelihood of locally heavy, gusty thunderstorms farther north in New Jersey, southeastern New York state, including the New York City area, and parts of central and southern New England, according to AccuWeather.

While a tornado outbreak is not anticipated, there is the potential for a few brief tornadoes to be spawned in the strongest thunderstorms, according to AccuWeather. Strong wind gusts, frequent lightning strikes, blinding downpours and urban flooding will be more common threats from the storms.

Motorists may encounter sudden, blinding downpours and excess water on the roads, according to AccuWeather. Airline passengers can expect delays as the line of intense rainfall and gusty thunderstorms approaches and passes over airport locations.

The severe weather threat will end rapidly as cooler air sweeps in from west to east across the mid-Atlantic, according to AccuWeather. However, Friday evening will present the highest risk for the blinding downpours and gusty winds.

Here is the forecast:

• Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. High near 69. South wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Friday night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10pm, then a chance of showers. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Low around 49. Southwest wind 13 to 15 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Breezy, with a west wind 20 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph.
• Saturday night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 45. West wind 6 to 14 mph
• Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.