NJ Weather: Severe Thunderstorm, Tornado Warning, 200K Lose Power

UPDATE: The severe thunderstorm watch and warnings have returned to New Jersey, as well as a tornado warning. Read more: Tornado Warning For South Jersey Wednesday Night

Here are the alerted areas:

A severe thunderstorm watch and warnings were in effect in a number of New Jersey counties on Wednesday as hail, 80-mph damaging winds, power outages and possibly lightning were expected to hit the Garden State today and this week. The weather could impact management of the coronavirus outbreak (see below).

More than 200,000 customers were without power. Here are the towns:

1. CHERRY HILL TWP 9,408
2. BERKELEY TOWNSHIP 7,577
3. WILLINGBORO TWP 7,028
4. MOUNT LAUREL TWP 6,479
5. TRENTON CITY 6,142
6. JACKSON TOWNSHIP 5,803
7. MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP 5,747
8. TOMS RIVER TOWNSHIP 5,526
9. CAMDEN CITY 5,453
10. MOORESTOWN TWP 5,279
11. BRICK TOWNSHIP 4,970
12. LACEY TOWNSHIP 4,660
13. LAWRENCE TWP 4,395
14. LAKEWOOD TOWNSHIP 3,619
15. HADDON TWP 3,607
16. VOORHEES TWP 3,588
17. EDGEWATER PARK TWP 3,480
18. MEDFORD TWP 3,464
19. EVESHAM TWP 3,313
20. EASTAMPTON TWP 3,198
21. CINNAMINSON TWP 3,046
22. PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP 2,950
23. LINDENWOLD BORO 2,759
24. HADDONFIELD BORO 2,600
25. PALMYRA BORO 2,488
26. LUMBERTON TWP 2,484
27. WEST DEPTFORD TWP 2,478
28. HAMMONTON TOWN 2,471
29. EWING TWP 2,423
30. PENNSAUKEN TWP 2,347
31. EVESHAM TWP 2,311
32. HAMILTON TWP 2,298
33. PLAINSBORO TWP 2,267
34. BERLIN BORO 2,248
35. MILLSTONE TOWNSHIP 2,125
36. GALLOWAY TWP 2,104
37. SOUTHAMPTON TWP 2,074
38. HOPEWELL TWP 1,972
39. BORDENTOWN CITY 1,962
40. DELRAN TWP 1,900
41. STAFFORD TWP 1,886
42. VOORHEES TWP 1,815
43. Mullica 1695
44. PLUMSTED TOWNSHIP 1,581
45. MEDFORD LAKES BORO 1,551
46. OCEAN TOWNSHIP 1,450
47. ROBBINSVILLE TWP 1,442
48. BEACHWOOD BOROUGH 1,323
49. EAST AMWELL TOWNSHIP 1,260
50. BEVERLY CITY 1,259
51. HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP 1,238
52. UPPER FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP 1,201
53. WEST WINDSOR TWP 1,180
54. AUDUBON BORO 1,148
55. BERLIN TWP 1,144
56. OCEAN GATE BOROUGH 1,011
57. BURLINGTON TWP 998
58. DELANCO TWP 961
59. OAKLYN BORO 905
60. NORTH HANOVER TOWNSHIP 897
61. WESTAMPTON TWP 790
62. MEDFORD TWP 749
63. ALLENTOWN BORO 747
64. SOUTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP 676
65. MANALAPAN TOWNSHIP 646
66. WOODBURY CITY 641
67. WASHINGTON TWP 612
68. HAMILTON TWP 605
69. MAPLE SHADE TWP 600
70. PINE BEACH BOROUGH 593
71. HAINESPORT TWP 573
72. RIVERTON BORO 571
73. HADDON HEIGHTS BORO 559
74. COLLINGSWOOD BORO 533
75. MOUNT HOLLY TWP 528
76. NATIONAL PARK BORO 528
77. GIBBSBORO BORO 493
78. SHAMONG TWP 478
79. CRANBURY TWP 476
80. MANTUA TWP 467
81. LAKEHURST BOROUGH 432
82. PRINCETON 387
83. UPPER FREEHOLD TWP 358
84. SPRINGFIELD TWP 356
85. LAUREL SPRINGS BORO 343
86. SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 338
87. DELAWARE TOWNSHIP 305
88. BORDENTOWN TWP 301
89. FIELDSBORO BORO 277
90. HIGHTSTOWN BOROUGH 276
91. EMERSON BORO 272
92. RIVERSIDE TWP 269
93. LITTLE EGG HARBOR TWP 253
94. WEST AMWELL TOWNSHIP 248
95. PEMBERTON TWP 246
96. CLEMENTON BORO 244
97. BASS RIVER TWP 214
98. ORADELL BORO 194
99. FOLSOM BORO 172
100. WALL TOWNSHIP 161
101. EGG HARBOR CITY 159
102. MERCHANTVILLE BORO 159
103. EAST WINDSOR TOWNSHIP 157
104. FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP 155
105. ROBBINSVILLE TOWNSHIP 153
106. RUNNEMEDE BORO 143
107. FRANKLIN TWP 135
108. SOUTH TOMS RIVER BOROUGH 132
109. BARNEGAT TOWNSHIP 120
110. TABERNACLE TWP 110
111. HOWELL TOWNSHIP 103
112. BRIELLE BOROUGH 98
113. CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP 95
114. MANSFIELD TWP 85
115. GLASSBORO BORO 74
116. FLORENCE TWP 71
117. EAST GREENWICH TWP 64
118. MARLBORO TOWNSHIP 62
119. HI-NELLA BORO 60
120. SOMERDALE BORO 59
121. SOUTH BRUNSWICK TWP 49
122. BELLMAWR BORO 43
123. CHESTERFIELD TWP 42
124. SEASIDE PARK BOROUGH 41
125. GLOUCESTER TWP 40
126. WRIGHTSTOWN BOROUGH 37
127. WOODLAND TOWNSHIP 30
128. ROOSEVELT BOROUGH 30
129. RARITAN TOWNSHIP 28
130. LAWNSIDE BORO 27
131. MANTOLOKING BOROUGH 25
132. PENNINGTON BORO 24
133. LONG BEACH TWP 23
134. ELK TWP 22
135. PINE HILL BORO 21
136. ENGLISHTOWN BOROUGH 21
137. DEPTFORD TWP 20
138. EGG HARBOR TWP 19
139. NEW HANOVER TOWNSHIP 17
140. BURLINGTON CITY 11
141. Barnegat 10
142. LAMBERTVILLE CITY 10
143. MAGNOLIA BORO 9
144. MANASQUAN BOROUGH 9
145. EDGEWATER BORO 8
146. HILLSBOROUGH TWP 8
147. MONTGOMERY TWP 7
148. CLINTON TOWNSHIP 7
149. STOCKTON BOROUGH 7
150. ROXBURY TOWNSHIP 7
151. WYCKOFF TWP 5
152. SOMERDALE BORO 5
153. FREEHOLD BOROUGH 5

Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter, the National Weather Service says. Mobile homes will be heavily damaged. Expect considerable damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles. Extensive tree damage and power outages are likely.

Here were the alerted areas:

The National Weather Service also issued a hazardous weather outlook throughout the rest of the state, saying showers and thunderstorms were expected to move through New Jersey on Wednesday beginning at mid-day.

The storms are expected to last through Saturday (see forecast below).

Previous stormy weather caused delays in testing, causing county sites to close up shop. Testing has been viewed as the key to help manage and reduce the number of cases in New Jersey.

The state's cases rose to 161,545 on Tuesday, and 11,770 people have died. Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

Here is the severe weather outlook (story continues below the graphic):

Here is what you should expect:

• Damaging winds in excess of 60 mph accompanying severe storms could lead to tree damage and scattered power outages from mid-day Wednesday through late this evening
• Quarter-size or larger hail is possible with the strongest storms which could result in minor property damage in New Jersey.
• Localized heavy rain with rain amounts above one inch is possible which could result in flooding especially in poor drainage areas.
• A narrow corridor of heavy rain could lead to localized flash flooding

Lightning could strike without notice, according to AccuWeather. With some of the more intense thunderstorms, frequent cloud-to-ground lightning strikes could occur and the strongest thunderstorms will be capable of spawning a tornado.

Here is what is expected later in the week:

Here is the forecast:

• Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms. Some storms could be severe, with large hail and damaging winds. High near 83. West wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New rainfall amounts between a 10th and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Wednesday night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10pm. Some storms could be severe, with large hail and damaging winds. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Thursday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
• Thursday night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m., then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Friday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a 10th of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Friday night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
• Saturday night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.