70 MPH Gusts, Frequent Lightning Possible With BurlCo Under Severe Thunderstorm Watch

BURLINGTON 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 Burlington County.

The watch remains in effect until 11 p.m. Thursday and includes 15 of the state's 21 counties — all except Cape May County and northeast Jersey.

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

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

• Thursday night: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms this evening, then partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Some thunderstorms may be severe with damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rainfall this evening. Lows in the mid-70s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph, diminishing to around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 50 percent.
• Friday: Mostly sunny. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Hot with highs in the upper 90s. West winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent. Heat index values up to 108 in the afternoon.
• Friday night: Mostly cloudy in the evening, then becoming partly cloudy. A chance of showers. A chance of thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds and heavy rainfall in the evening. Humid with lows in the mid 70s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.
• Saturday: Partly sunny. Showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds and heavy rainfall in the afternoon. Hot with highs in the mid-90s. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.