The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for all 21 New Jersey counties on Monday afternoon with the potential for heavy rain, wind gusts up to 65 mph, hail and even the chance for tornadoes through the evening.
The watch runs through 9 p.m. on what has already been a stormy Memorial Day with multiple rounds of thunderstorms that fired up early Monday. The nasty weather caused an early mass exodus from packed Jersey Shore towns and jammed the Garden State Parkway for dozens of miles.
Thousands ofhomes and businesses were already without power from the earlier storms and the gusty winds on the way could bring down more trees and power lines.
The latest forecast for this evening’s storm is showing a reduced risk for tornadoes, but doesn’t eliminate that threat, Sarah Johnson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, told NJ Advance Media.
“Damaging winds and large hail risk are more of a concern,” she said. Hail could be the size of a quarter.
The morning round of storms forced several towns to cancel Memorial Day parades.
”It’s unfortunate timing, a lot of people had plans for outdoors activities and Memorial Day ceremonies had to be canceled,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate.”
While some parts of the state will see a lull before the evening thunderstorms, Johnson urged peopole to monitor weather forecasts closely and be prepared to get indoors.
”Our bigger concern is with another round comes after 4 p.m., and continues through the late evening hours,” she said. “There will be a lightening and a heavy rain threat, it won’t be safe to be outside.”
The storm is expected it to be off shore by midnight, she said.
