New Jersey – Powerful thunderstorms swept across New Jersey overnight for the third straight night, bringing intense lightning, damaging wind gusts, torrential rainfall, and widespread reports of downed trees and flooded roadways.
Utility crews are responding to scattered outages across the state after the storms disrupted electrical service to tens of thousands of customers. Motorists encountered flooded streets and debris on roadways as emergency crews worked through the morning to clear hazards.
Thousands remain without electricity
According to JCP&L, the hardest-hit service areas Monday morning included Union, Sussex, Morris, Somerset, Monmouth, and Hunterdon counties.
JCP&L reported approximately 14,300 customers without power in Morris County, 5,465 in Sussex County, 5,277 in Monmouth County, 4,873 in Union County, 3,731 in Hunterdon County, and 2,898 in Somerset County. Additional outages were reported in Warren, Ocean, Mercer, Essex, Middlesex, and Passaic counties.
PSE&G also reported scattered outages, including about 5,151 customers in Bergen County, 1,224 in Essex County, 758 in Passaic County, and 654 in Middlesex County. Many restoration estimates listed by the utility extend into Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on the extent of the damage.
Flooded roads and cleanup underway
The storms produced periods of heavy rain that flooded low-lying roadways in several communities, while strong wind gusts toppled trees and brought down branches onto roads and power lines.
Utility crews and public works departments continue clearing debris and restoring service as residents assess storm damage. Drivers are urged to avoid flooded roadways, treat intersections with non-functioning traffic signals as four-way stops, and stay clear of downed power lines.
Forecasters will continue monitoring weather conditions as cleanup efforts continue across the state.
Key Points
- New Jersey was hit by a third consecutive night of thunderstorms with heavy rain, lightning, and damaging winds.
- Thousands of JCP&L and PSE&G customers remain without power, with the largest outages reported in Morris, Sussex, Monmouth, Union, Hunterdon, and Bergen counties.
- Downed trees, flooded roads, and scattered power outages are affecting travel and cleanup efforts across the state.
