Severe thunderstorm warning issued for parts of North Jersey

John Connolly and Manahil Ahmad, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read

A severe thunderstorm warning and a flash flood warning has been issued for parts of Bergen, Essex and Morris counties until 6 p.m., the National Weather Service announced.

The warnings were issued for the southeastern section of Bergen County, central Morris County, southwestern Essex County and parts of Union County, Somerset County, Middlesex County and sections of New York City and Westchester.

Parts of south and central New Jersey were issues similar warnings earlier as the storm continues north.

The NWS says wind gusts could reach 60 mph with quarter-sized hail possible and warns that "damage to roofs, siding, trees, and power lines is possible" and "frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm."

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of Bergen County on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of Bergen County on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.

A severe thunderstorm watch remains in effect until 11 p.m. Tuesday for the region.

The NJ Department of Transportation warned in a tweet: "Severe thunderstorms are expected into tonight, which may cause trees and power lines to fall on the roadway. NEVER drive over a downed line. If you spot a downed line, stay away, call 9-1-1 and warn others to steer clear."

Weather: Hey New Jersey, get ready for some cooler weather, lots of rain and flood watch

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of Morris County on Tuesday, Aug.5, 2024.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of Morris County on Tuesday, Aug.5, 2024.

Thunderstorm causing airport delays

All flights coming into Newark Liberty International Airport, JFK and LaGuardia are being held at their point of origin until 6:30 p.m. due the storms, according to FlightAware.com which monitors air travel.

At Newark airport, FlightAware also reports that inbound flights are being delayed and average of 2 hours, 40 minutes, while departing flights are experiencing delays of up to 1 hour, 30 minutes and rising.

Flood watch for most of New Jersey

A flood watch is in effect for 15 of the state's 21 counties including Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset and Union.

The flood watch is active until noon Wednesday in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties and until 8 a.m. Wednesday in the other counties.

National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Dea said temperatures will be cooler this week due to the significant rainfall. "The week will be below normal, but purely due to significant heavy rains, starting today," he said Tuesday morning.

Tropical storm Debby is moving slowly and is expected to reach New Jersey sometime on Saturday. On Tuesday morning the storm was leaving Florida and hovering over Georgia.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Severe thunderstorm warning issued for North Jersey