All of New Jersey under a severe thunderstorm watch through Thursday evening
As of this afternoon, Thursday, June 19, a severe thunderstorm watch has been posted for every county in New Jersey, stretching through 9 p.m. tonight, as intense storm cells continue to develop and move across the Mid-Atlantic. This watch also extends to New York City, parts of the Hudson Valley, eastern Pennsylvania, and eastern Maryland, including the Philadelphia metro area and the entire state of Delaware.
Issued by the National Weather Service and the Storm Prediction Center, this watch means atmospheric conditions are favorable for the development of dangerous thunderstorms, capable of producing damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph (96 km/h) or more, large hail, and frequent lightning. Forecasters also warn of a possible tornado, due to elevated wind shear combined with intense surface heating and humidity.
The first watch, issued at 1:25 p.m., covers Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic, and Union counties in North Jersey, as well as New York City and parts of northeastern Pennsylvania. A second alert, issued at 1:45 p.m., includes 16 additional counties across Central and South Jersey, including Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren.
This expanded threat zone reflects the growing instability in the region’s atmosphere, fueled by temperatures in the low 90s°F (32-34°C) and mostly sunny skies. The Storm Prediction Center has elevated New Jersey’s risk level to enhanced—the third highest on their five-point scale—signaling a heightened potential for severe weather.
Around 1:15 p.m., isolated storm cells began pushing into eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey. The National Weather Service tracked a strong, fast-moving system over eastern Essex and eastern Hudson counties, producing 30 mph (48 km/h) gusts. While not yet classified as severe, these initial cells are expected to intensify and become more organized later this afternoon and evening.
The Mount Holly forecast office continues to monitor conditions across the Philadelphia region, as well as central and southern New Jersey, where storm development could become more widespread and potentially dangerous.
So far this year, New Jersey has experienced one confirmed tornado, which occurred on May 16. That twister—with top winds estimated at 90 to 95 mph (145–153 km/h)—touched down in the Williamstown area of Monroe Township, Gloucester County, before moving into Atlantic County. The 300-yard-wide funnel remained on the ground for over 8 miles.
That same storm system also spawned a rare gustnado in Franklinville, within Franklin Township, also in Gloucester County. While not classified as a tornado, a gustnado is a brief, shallow whirlwind formed along the leading edge of thunderstorm outflows, with no connection to cloud-base rotation.
The regional radar continues to show escalating activity, with storm development ramping up along the interior Northeast and across the Garden State. Forecasters remain focused on the evolving situation and are urging residents to stay alert through the evening hours.
For additional updates, monitor the latest alerts from the National Weather Service or your local forecast office in Mount Holly.
