Toms River Nor'easter 2020 Impact: Power Outages Linger

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Power outages continued to linger Thursday morning in Toms River and nearby towns as crews repaired wires brought down by Wednesday's nor'easter.

The National Weather Service said the nor'easter — named because of the direction of its winds — was expected to bring sustained winds and precipitation through Thursday, but by 9:30 a.m. the sun was shining as the storm had nearly completely moved out of New Jersey.

The storm was expected to pack winds gusting to 60 mph, and the strongest part of the storm arrived in Ocean County Wednesday evening, knocking out power to more than 7,500 homes in some in Toms River but mostly on the barrier island. Read more: Nor'easter Knocks Out Power In Toms River, On Barrier Island

On Thursday morning, the number of outages was just under 300, scattered around the county including on the barrier island. The scattered damage points tend to take longer to repair, and Jersey Central Power & Light did not provide an estimate of when power would be restored.

While the northwest portion of the state was expected to get the brunt of the snow, there was some that fell in parts of Ocean County Wednesday. In the northwest portion of Toms River, residents reported receiving snow. The National Weather Service had one report from Toms River of 3 inches of accumulation as of 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. From Lakewood, the service received a report of 4 inches and of 4.1 inches in Manchester. The highest total in Ocean County came from Jackson, with 7 inches as of 9 p.m.

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The concerns about the potential impacts of the nor'easter led the Toms River Regional School District to announce a fully virtual day for Thursday, with staff and students all remote. Read more: Toms River Schools Shift To Virtual Day Amid Nor'easter

Here were the expected snow totals around the state:

A coastal flood warning was in effect from 7 p.m. Wednesday through 3 p.m. Thursday.

The rain and snow was expected to become all rain after midnight, but the wind speeds were expected to increase and remain a concern until about 7 a.m. Sustained winds were expected in the 20- to 25-mph range, with gusts to 55 mph.

For Thursday, rain, snow, and sleet were likely before 7 a.m., with a chance of snow between 7 a.m. and noon. Winds will continue but will be decreasing over the course of the day as the nor'easter moves up and out of the area.

Chance of precipitation is 60 percent and new snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half-inch is possible.

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