N.J. weather: Winds up to 50 mph, heavy rain and hail in forecast. Power outages possible.

N.J. weather

New Jersey could get winds up to 50 mph, according to the latest forecast.

New Jersey could get slammed with wind gusts up to 50 mph Thursday afternoon and evening along with severe thunderstorms that might include small hail, according to the latest weather forecast.

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the entire state, except for Sussex and Warren counties, effective from noon to 4 p.m. In addition, nearly all of the state will be under a wind advisory starting this afternoon.

Winds speeds of 20 to 35 mph with gusts as high as 50 could snap tree limbs and toss around unsecured objects. Power outages are possible as well, the weather service said.

Accuweather.com noted the strong winds could cause problems for medical tents set up outside hospitals or at testing centers due to the coronavirus outbreak.

UPDATE (1:20 p.m. Thursday): A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris and Somerset counties, effective until 2:15 p.m. Thursday. Some of the storm cells moving through these areas of the state are packing winds as strong as 60 mph and penny-size hail, the weather service said.

Live N.J. power outage tracker: Thousands in the dark as strong thunderstorms sweep state

UPDATE (2:15 p.m. Thursday): A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for northern Atlantic County, all of Ocean County, southeastern Burlington County and southeastern Monmouth County, effective until 3 p.m. Thursday.

UPDATE: (3:10 p.m. Thursday): The National Weather Service received a report of a wind gust as strong as 71 mph about 3 miles north of Barnegat Light in Ocean County, during a thunderstorm at about 2:30 p.m. The weather service also has reports of many downed trees and power lines, including some in South Brunswick in Middlesex County and Watchung in Somerset County.

In the Martinsville section of Bridgewater in Somerset County, there’s a report of trees uprooted or snapped, and the weather service also received word of a large tree on top of a house in Neptune in Monmouth County.

Rain that’s likely to fall this afternoon could be heavy at times and accompany powerful thunderstorms across the state as temperatures climb into the 60s. The storm should move through quickly as precipitation tapers off by early evening before overnight lows dip into the 30s.

The wind advisory lasts from noon until 5 p.m. for Camden, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Morris, northwestern Burlington, Salem, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties.

In Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Monmouth, Middlesex, Ocean and southeastern Burlington counties the advisory will run from 1 to 7 p.m.

In Bergen and Passaic, the wind advisory runs from 2 to 8 p.m. with top winds of 45 mph possible.

NJ weather - severe thunderstorm risk 4-9-20

Most of New Jersey has a slight risk of severe thunderstorms on Thursday, April 9, according to the national Storm Prediction Center.Storm Prediction Center

Even after the advisories expire, forecasters say we can still expect strong winds overnight, with gusts of 30 to 40 mph possible.

On Friday, conditions will remain breezy with periods of sun and highs in the 50s. The weekend is shaping up to be dry. Saturday’s forecast calls for sunny skies and temps again in the 50s. Sunday will be milder with highs in the 60s, but it will feature a mix of sun and clouds.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Len Melisurgo contributed to this report. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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