Montclair Officials Urge Caution As Storm Hits Township: UPDATED

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair public safety officials are advising residents to stay safe as bad weather from Tropical Storm Isaias hits New Jersey on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch across New Jersey as Tropical Storm Isaias made its way north through the mid-Atlantic, packing winds of nearly 50 mph. Gov. Phil Murphy issued a state of emergency for all 21 counties that took effect at 5 a.m. and lasted until 4 p.m.

• See related article: Tornado Watch Across NJ As Tropical Storm Isaias Nears

PSE&G reported that tens of thousands of customers lost power throughout Essex County, including Montclair.

• See related article: PSEG Power Outages Hit 48K In Essex County Amid Storm

The Montclair Office of Emergency Management (OEM) called attention to the tornado watch in a municipal bulletin on Tuesday.

“Do not drive or walk through flooded streets,” the Montclair OEM stated. “If you come upon a flooded street, take an alternate route. It only takes a few inches of water for drivers to lose control or even get swept away.”

The Montclair OEM also reminded people to avoid any power lines if they come down in bad weather.

“Downed power lines can be deadly.,” officials said. “Always assume a downed power line is live and avoid going near it or anything in contact with it.”

The weather has already impacted Tuesday's trash pickup, the Montclair Department of Community Services reported.

“Due to severe and dangerous weather conditions garbage collection was not completed in Section 2 today,” town officials stated at 1:12 p.m. “The remainder of Section 2 will be collected tomorrow. Because of the weather conditions, please put out your garbage cans at 6 a.m. tomorrow, not this evening.”

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.