NJ Weather: Strong Coastal Storm, 45-MPH Winds Expected To Hit

NEW JERSEY – Forecasters say a strong storm that could develop into a nor'easter – and even bring some snow – is expected to hit New Jersey on Friday and Saturday, packing 45-mph winds that could cause power outages.

Patrick O'Hara, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Mount Holly, said the storm will resemble a nor'easter because it will have the same characteristics and may develop into a large system packing damaging northeasterly winds along the Atlantic coast.

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook along the Jersey Shore and in Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties, saying a storm system will affect the region on Friday night into Saturday, bringing a period of heavy rain along with strong winds.

The rain could be heavy enough to result in flooding, especially near the coast where it may impact Saturday morning's high tide. Northwest winds gusting up to 45 mph during the day on Saturday could also result in downed wires and power outages, according to the NWS.

The Weather Channel said the storm will be a nor'easter and will bring heavy rain, wind and snow to parts of the Northeast. This weekend storm will track much farther east than the storm earlier this week, meaning some areas that were soaked with heavy rain earlier this week may instead see snow, The Weather Channel says.

AccuWeather and the NWS say that snow will likely impact only Sussex County on Friday night and Saturday.

Some of these storms can become strong enough to produce downpours, strong wind gusts and even an isolated tornado, according to AccuWeather.

The exact track of the storm will determine whether or not this storm will become the season's first nor'easter, according to AccuWeather. The weather system could unleash widespread impacts across the Northeast even if it doesn't intensify enough to be classified as a "bomb cyclone" as it tracks along the Eastern Seaboard, according to AccuWeather.

Here is the forecast:

• Friday: Rain likely, mainly after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 51. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
• Friday night: Rain (snow is Sussex). Low around 42. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
• Saturday: Rain (snow in Sussex), mainly before 1pm. High near 44. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 20 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
• Saturday night: A chance of showers before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. Northwest wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.