70 MPH Gusts, Frequent Lightning Possible With Camden Co. Under Severe Thunderstorm Watch

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — It's a good day to stay inside as much as possible, for multiple reasons. As New Jersey endures a heatwave, officials issued a severe thunderstorm watch Thursday afternoon for much of the state, including Camden County.

The watch remains in effect until 11 p.m. Thursday and includes 15 of New Jersey's 21 counties — all except Cape May County and the northeastern portion of the Garden State.

During that span, the region could see frequent lightning, scattered gusts of up to 70 mph and isolated hail of up to a half-inch in size, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

In Camden County, there's a chance of showers and thunderstorms on Thursday afternoon. Those stormy conditions will become "likely" on Thursday night, the NWS says.

Here's the National Weather Service's latest forecast for Camden County:

• Thursday afternoon: Sunny with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds and heavy rainfall. Hot. Near steady temperature in the mid 90s. Southwest winds around 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.
• Thursday night: Mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely in the evening, then partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds and heavy rainfall in the evening. Humid with lows in the mid 70s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph, diminishing to around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 60 percent.
• Friday: Mostly sunny. Hot with highs in the upper 90s. West winds 5 to 10 mph. Heat index values up to 108.
• Friday night: Partly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds and heavy rainfall in the evening. Humid with lows in the upper 70s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.