Tornado Watch In Millburn: Floods Possible, Weather Forecasters Say

MILLBURN, NJ — UPDATE: The tornado watch in Essex County has been extended until 10 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9. Our original article follows below.

Millburn is seeing a double whammy of weather warnings for Friday, with a “tornado watch” and “flood advisory” in effect, forecasters say.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting showers and thunderstorms with strong winds in Millburn and the surrounding area. There is a tornado watch in effect until 2 p.m., and a flood advisory in effect until 8:45 a.m.

“There is the potential for isolated to scattered instances of flash flooding late this afternoon into tonight, along with urban and poor drainage flooding,” a hazardous weather outlook for the area reads.

“In addition, there is a marginal to slight risk for severe weather for the area, with the primary threat being damaging winds with a localized tornado threat,” the NWS adds.

LOCAL WEATHER FORECAST

Here is the weather forecast for the rest of the weekend, as per the NWS:

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. High near 82. Breezy, with a south wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly before 2am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Low around 71. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph decreasing to 8 to 13 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84. West wind 7 to 9 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 82. Light west wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63.

MILLBURN PREPARES FOR STORM

Millburn public safety officials provided an update on local storm preparations on Friday.

"The township is actively monitoring the storm system and has taken all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the community," officials stated. "Our on-call meteorologists have provided us with an up-to-date weather forecast, and our team is currently taking steps such as cleaning catch basins, storm drains, pipes, and grates."

"We have also drained Taylor Park Pond, a task that was successfully accomplished through close coordination with our other emergency management partners," officials continued. "We are closely monitoring the US National Weather Service New York to ensure we are fully prepared for any potential impact. The Emergency Management Trailer is equipped with standby generators and ready to be deployed for residents with disabilities and access and functional needs."

Residents in need of sandbags can drive to the DPW yard where empty sandbags are available and can be filled at the self-service station (during business hours only), Millburn officials noted.

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