The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a tornado watch for the entire state, including Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
The watch is in effect until 7 p.m. tonight
After a beautiful start to the week, NWS is predicting plenty of wet weather for the next few days.
Starting from Monday night into Tuesday, there is at least a 40 percent chance of scattered showers before the bulk of the storm is scheduled to arrive in our area.
The NWS predicts the showers could develop into thunderstorms after 2 p.m., which could bring "gusty winds and heavy rain." With temperatures in the 80s and wind getting as high as 26 MPH, it should make for an interesting day on the roads.
Wind gusts could also get up to 43 mph over the course of the day.
The rain is expected to last through Tuesday night, with the strong winds winding down by Wednesday, while the showers are likely to continue. The temperature will also start to lower on Wednesday with a high around 71 predicted for the day.
Once this storm passes, the rest of the week should be nice again, with sunny weather and highs in the 70s until at least Friday.
Mike Simpson
5:12 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Jersey Central Power & Light is monitoring the current weather and has activated its storm response plan, JCP&L line crews are prepared to begin restoration efforts should power outages occur. JCP&L has also brought in additional forestry crews, hazard responders and support personnel to assist.
Customers can report power outages by calling 888-544-4877 (1-888-LIGHTSS) or at the 24/7 Power Center at outages at www.jcp-l.com. The 24/7 Power Center features a dynamic on-line map that delivers fast and accurate outage information to desktops, smart phones and mobile devices.
JCP&L reminds customers to report any downed wires to the company, their local police or fire departments. Customers should always assume downed wires are carrying electricity and are reminded to keep their children and pets away from downed wires. Customers should also never try to remove threes or limbs from power lines because they could conduct electricity.
Mickey Brewster
7:39 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
It's true! They just left our house after clearing branches that were hanging onto and pulling our wires down. Thank you so much!!!!
mamadear
7:04 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Impressive Mike. Thanks for the info ahead of time!
WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
6:46 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Wonder how much longer this will remain as "Breaking". Although the NWS extended the watch until 9:00 (which wasn't included in the story), it has now long since passed. It is hard to think of this site as a serious news source. Way to go Patch!!
WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
6:52 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Ironic that the most useful information in this article was in the comments written by Mike Simpson. Hope they don't delete his posting, but wouldn't be surprised!