Severe Storms, Flooding Forecast For Friday Afternoon: See Latest

NEW JERSEY — Heavy rain and thunderstorms will return to New Jersey on Friday afternoon and linger into the evening, according to weather forecasters.

The Storm Prediction Center lists a "marginal" risk for severe weather on Friday and Friday night across New Jersey. Flooding is a concern as rainfall rates could reach 2-3 inches per hour with locally heavy downpours, added Accuweather.com.

The state saw some heavy rain in the morning that has dissipated. Muggy air and increased cloud cover return before showers and thunderstorms "begin to fire up again" after midday, said the National Weather Service.

"We will likely see gradually more widespread activity develop around midday, and continue through the early evening, before steadily diminishing through sunset," said forecasters in their latest update.

The NWS said that the storms "should be fast enough to limit the threat of significant flash flooding," but added that the coverage and intensity of rainfall in any one area "is very uncertain, with model guidance highly variable."

Forecasters added that rain activity "may focus initially from I-95 northwestward, then gradually expand farther southeast."

Check the National Weather Service’s current watches, warnings, and advisories issued in New Jersey here.

As of Friday, afternoon, 14 New Jersey counties in the north and central part of the state are still under a hazardous weather outlook due to localized flash flooding risks, including several coastal counties.

The affected counties are:

• Warren
• Somerset
• Middlesex
• Monmouth
• Morris
• Sussex
• Mercer
• Ocean
• Hunterdon
• Passaic
• Hudson
• Bergen
• Essex
• Union

Though storms are slated to exit the Garden State at around 2 a.m. Saturday morning, additional rounds of wet weather are forecasted - albeit with much lower chances - through the rest of the weekend.

The stormy pattern will last until early next week, forecasters predict.

Here’s the latest forecast around New Jersey, per the National Weather Service:

North Jersey

Friday: Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may produce heavy rainfall. Highs in the mid 80s. East winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may produce heavy rainfall. Humid with lows in the lower 70s. South winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. South wind 6 to 8 mph.

Sunday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. South wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71.

South Jersey

Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Southwest wind around 10 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: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1am. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, then a slight chance of showers. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.