Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued for Ocean County

Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued for Ocean County

According to the national weather service, portions of the area have been upgraded to a Slight Risk for severe weather this afternoon. As a result, a severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia until 7 pm est.

Severe Storm Threat: A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect. Prepare to take shelter if necessary.

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for 10 counties in central and southern New Jersey, predicting heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 70 mph.

Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, and Salem counties are under the watch, which went into effect at 12:45 p.m. and will end at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

As a warm front moves over the state, isolated thunderstorms and rain showers are predicted to begin Wednesday afternoon and may continue into the evening in certain areas of New Jersey.

However, a powerful cold front is predicted to collide with hot, humid air on Thursday afternoon and Thursday evening, posing another risk of severe thunderstorms in New Jersey.

Thursday is predicted to see temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s, which will give thunderstorms more fuel to grow.

Forecasters warn of flash flooding, frequent lightning, and small hailstones in addition to strong gusts.

Additionally, they state that due to the significant amount of wind shear predicted in the atmosphere on Thursday, localized tornadoes or waterspouts cannot be ruled out.

Forecasters say there's a slight risk of an isolated tornado touching down in New Jersey on Thursday, June 19, when strong thunderstorms are expected to sweep across the region.

One of the main factors in tornado formation is wind shear, which is the variation in wind direction and speed at various atmospheric heights. Keep up-to-date with the weather forecast.