Tornado Watch In Montclair: Floods Possible, Weather Forecasters Warn

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

Montclair 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 Montclair 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.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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 81. 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 17 to 22 mph becoming west 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 39 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 8 to 10 mph.

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

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 80. Light west wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

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

MONTCLAIR

Montclair public safety officials say they are monitoring flood areas, especially in parts of town that have previously been affected.

Here is some advice from the township:

Parking - "We ask that residents plan for and monitor their homes during this period, especially those who park their cars at the Fullerton Deck's lower level. Please consider moving your vehicles to higher elevation areas."

Power Outages - "In the event of a Power Outage, please notify PSEG directly at 1-800-436-7734. PSEG needs your account number to track outages and locations requiring power restoration."

What can residents do? - "Secure any objects on or near your property, including garbage cans or yard furniture. Charge cell phones and ensure that you anticipate the potential for power outages. Save a listing of utility companies to your cell phone before needing repairs. Assume that any downed wires are live and dangerous, and contact the Montclair Police Communications Center at 973-744-1234 to report these hazards. We also ask residents to report street flooding to our non-emergency number, 973-744-1234, or call 911 for all other emergencies."

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