Thousands Powerless As Winds Batter NJ, Alerts Issued

NEW JERSEY — Another windy day is in store for the Garden State on Friday, with powerful gusts already knocking power out for thousands of customers.

The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory that is in effect for all 21 counties until 4 p.m. Forecasters say that northwest gusts can range from 35 to 50 miles per hour, potentially knocking over unsecured items outside and blowing down tree limbs.

As of 12 p.m., there are more than 10,000 customers who have lost power around New Jersey. The bulk of these outages (about 7,000) are FirstEnergy customers.

PSE&G, Atlantic City Electric, Orange & Rockland Utilities, and Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative are also reporting customers without power.

Winds this strong can also make driving difficult for high-profile vehicles like semi trucks and buses, the NWS said.

Friday's high temperatures will hover around 50 degrees in most of New Jersey, and be closer to the mid-40s in the northwest corner of the state. There is also a slight chance for rain showers in the evening that could turn to snow overnight, according to the latest forecast discussion.

Come Saturday, forecasters say, the blustery conditions will have eased off a bit. Winds will still gust to about 30 miles per hour in most places, and it will be cooler. A warmup is also in store though at least the middle of the week, with highs in the 50s and 60s by Wednesday.

Here is the weekend forecast for New Jersey from the National Weather Service:

North Jersey

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 47. West wind 16 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.

Friday night: A slight chance of snow showers between 10pm and 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. West wind 6 to 8 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 43. Northwest wind 8 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 49. West wind 5 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31.

Central Jersey

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 51. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.

Friday night: A chance of rain showers after 9pm, mixing with snow after midnight. Increasing clouds, with a low around 34. West wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 47. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Saturday night: Clear, with a low around 27. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 52. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33.

South Jersey

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 51. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

Friday night: A chance of showers between 8pm and 4am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 37. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 47. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Saturday night: Clear, with a low around 28. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 54. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34.