Severe thunderstorm watch issued in N.J. for strong storms fueled by Tropical Storm Debby (2024)

UPDATE: The severe thunderstorm watch was cancelled as of 9 p.m.

The National Weather Service has placed 17 counties in New Jersey under a severe thunderstorm watch Tuesday afternoon because of the threat of strong storms with large hail, heavy downpours and winds up to 75 mph.

Forecasters said they can’t rule out the possibility of an isolated tornado, noting some of the thunderstorm cells could be intense.

The watch, issued at about 1:50 p.m. Tuesday, will be in effect until 11 p.m. and covers Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Susses, Union and Warren counties.

In addition to the thunderstorm watch, most of New Jersey is under a flood watch because of the potential for flash flooding on saturated streets along with flooding from rivers and streams. And flash flood warnings have been issued in several counties because of heavy rain that has fallen during the past few hours.

Strong thunderstorms have also prompted ground stops at Newark Liberty International Airport along with John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Philadelphia International airports as of 5:20 p.m.

Forecasters say the thunderstorms and rain showers that develop this afternoon and tonight will be enhanced with extra moisture that is drifting up from Tropical Storm Debby, which is slowly meandering off the coast of Georgia today.

Debby is expected to be downgraded to a tropical depression before it arrives in New Jersey by early Saturday morning, but it could dump several inches of rain Friday and Saturday on top of all the rain the Garden State may get Tuesday night and early Wednesday.

The first batches of rain will be triggered by storm systems forming along a cold front that’s moving from the north and west, forecasters said, noting the front is expected to stall out near the Mid-Atlantic coast.

A watch is not as urgent as a warning, but puts the public on alert that conditions are favorable for strong thunderstorms that can generate large hail or wind gusts as strong as 60 mph, which can topple trees and power lines and cause structural damage.

Debby initially made landfall Monday morning in the Big Bend region of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane with 80 mph winds and has been blamed for at least five deaths — some from traffic accidents on wet roads, and one from a tree crashing through a mobile home.

As of Tuesday morning, the slow-moving storm has dumped as much as 11 to 12 inches of rain on parts of Georgia and South Carolina, including Beaufort, Charleston and Edisto Beach, according to rainfall totals reported by the National Weather Service’s forecast office in Charleston.

Latest N.J. weather alerts

These are among the weather warnings issued in New Jersey Tuesday evening:

Current weather radar

Stories by Len Melisurgo

• Flash flood warnings issued in N.J. as strong thunderstorms drench streets with heavy rain
• Tornado watch extended in 11 N.J. counties, parts of Pa. and N.Y.
• N.J. weather: Flood watch issued in 11 counties as heavy rain from Debby targets state

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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality.