10 counties in N.J. under severe thunderstorm watch; expect heavy rain and potential for damaging winds – Great

For the second straight day, large areas of New Jersey are under official weather alerts because strong thunderstorms might whip up damaging winds, large hail and heavy downpours with the potential for flash flooding and power outages.

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for 10 counties in the southern half of the Garden State, although forecasters say there’s a potential for strong thunderstorms to pop up in any area later Tuesday afternoon or Tuesday evening.

The watch — which is not as urgent as a warning — is effective now through 9 p.m. Tuesday in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean and Salem counties.

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Forecasters say some of the thunderstorm cells today could be intense, with wind gusts as high as 65 to 70 mph, along with drenching downpours, frequent lightning and some hail stones as large as Ping Pong balls.

An updated forecast map issued by the national Storm Prediction Center shortly before noon shows the South Jersey region, from just north of Interstate 195 all the way down to Cumberland and Cape May counties, with a “slight” risk of severe weather — 2 on the 5-point scale — with strong thunderstorms possible in the afternoon or evening.

In the northern half of the state there’s a marginal — or slightly lower — risk of severe weather, with isolated severe thunderstorms possible today.

With high humidity and partly sunny skies this afternoon, temperatures in southern New Jersey have climbed into the mid-80s to low 90s. Temperatures in central New Jersey have been hovering in the upper 70s to low 80s, while many areas of northern New Jersey have been stuck in the low to mid-70s.

While there’s slight chance of showers Wednesday morning in North Jersey, overall it’s expected to be a dry day with highs in the mid-80s. The outlook is similar for Thursday — dry and in the 80s, though there is the chance for light rain at night.

Current weather radar

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NJ Advance Media staff writer Jeff Goldman contributed to this report.

Len Melisurgo may be reached at [email protected].