Damaging Winds Arrive With Friday Storms: See NJ Timing

NEW JERSEY - Parts of the Garden State are already being slammed by over 50 mph winds ahead of a storm set to bring heavy rain, rumbles of thunder and possible flooding to the region, forecasters said.

Between half an inch to an inch of rain is set to fall on New Jersey into Friday afternoon, paving the way for potential flooding in parts of the state with ground already saturated from Thursday's storm, according to the National Weather Service.

“We're not quite done yet,” the National Weather Service Mount Holly station wrote Friday morning via X (formerly Twitter). “Showers with locally heavy rain, and even a rumble of thunder, will continue this morning before a drier afternoon takes hold. It will be breezy at times as well, but not quite as windy as last night with temps mostly in the 60s.”

The Jersey Shore is slated to continue to see fierce winds, with Wildwood and North Beach Haven already reporting gusts above 50 mph early Friday morning. Other parts of Ocean and Cape May counties, as well as Burlington, Cumberland, Mercer, Monmouth and Sussex saw winds over 40 mph.

Good Evening! A strong cold front will impact the area tonight into Friday. Intervals of moderate to heavy rain will occur with some embedded thunderstorms. This may result in localized urban/poor drainage flooding with rainfall totals ranging from 0.5-1.5 inches; locally higher. pic.twitter.com/ov2lScmZUu
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) April 12, 2024

As of 9:30 a.m., Ocean County is still under a coastal flood advisory through 8 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

“Flooding is generally expected to be on the back bays where water remains trapped. Minor flooding is expected along northern Barnegat Bay for the next two high tide cycles, especially in tidal locations near Mantoloking and Bayshore,” the weather service said. “Tidal flooding is not expected along the ocean-side or for much of the south end of Barnegat Bay.”

The skies are expected to clear just in time for the weekend, with daytime highs near 60 degrees and partly sunny skies possible, forecasters said.

Here's the latest forecast, according to the National Weather Service:

North Jersey

Friday: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2 p.m. High near 63. Southwest wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 2 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a low around 44. Southwest wind around 8 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. West wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 41. West wind 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.

Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.

Central Jersey

Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 2 p.m, then a slight chance of showers after 5 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Breezy, with a southwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Southwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers before 11 a.m. Cloudy, with a high near 55. Breezy, with a west wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 44. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Sunday: A slight chance of showers after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11 p.m., then a chance of showers between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

South Jersey

Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 1 p.m., then a slight chance of showers after 4 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Breezy, with a southwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night: A slight chance of showers after 1 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a low around 48. Southwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59. Breezy, with a west wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.