Severe Thunderstorm Watch In 10 NJ Counties: High Winds, Floods Possible

NEW JERSEY — The National Weather Service placed the southern half of the state under a severe thunderstorm watch in effect until 9 p.m. Thursday.

The watch includes the following counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean and Salem. The storm could bring damaging winds, scattered gusts up to 65 mph and flash flooding to the region.

Check AccuWeather's New Jersey radar map.

But much of the state could receive heavy rainfall starting Thursday afternoon, according to forecasters. North Jersey could also receive 1-2 inches of localized rainfall. There's a "marginal" — between 5 and 15 percent — chance of flash flooding in the region, according to the National Weather Service.

Here's the National Weather Service's latest New Jersey forecast:

• Thursday afternoon: Showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 80. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
• Thursday night: Showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between midnight and 2 a.m., then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Patchy fog after 2 a.m. Low around 65. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
• Friday: Scattered showers, mainly before 8 a.m. Patchy fog before noon. Otherwise, cloudy through mid-morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 80. North wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
• Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 78. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Saturday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55.