The entire state of New Jersey was under both a tornado watch and a flash flood watch Tuesday morning as the tropical storm began moving across the Garden State.
The state of emergency declared Monday night in anticipation of the storm remained in effect.
Gov. Phil Murphy said residents could see up to five inches of rain in the western parts of the state, 40- to 70-mph wind gusts in some places, and the potential for flash floods in low-lying areas.
But he reassured the public that first responders and emergency services personnel were prepared for the coming weather.
“We believe we are ready for it,” Murphy said. “Hopefully — and this is our best-case scenario — today will be just a washout, and tomorrow we’ll be back to summer sun. But in the meantime, we hope for the best, and prepare for the worst,” he added.
Murphy said the storm was moving quickly and should be out of the area in six to nine hours. State officials urged residents to stay inside if they could, avoid flooded roads and report downed power lines to authorities.
Joseph Fiordaliso, president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, said the state could experience “hundreds of thousands” of power outages due to the expected high winds. “That possibility exists, and I don’t want anyone to be under the illusion that it does not,” he said.
All state offices were closed Tuesday. Public transit was operating on a normal schedule as of Tuesday morning. Motorcycles and passenger vehicle-drawn trailers were prohibited on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway.
A trained weather spotter confirmed a tornado on the ground in the Strathmere section of Upper Township in Cape May County around 9:50 a.m, according to the National Weather Service. Trees were reportedly down on the Garden State Parkway around mile marker 24 in Upper Township.
All New Jersey state parks, historic sites, wildlife management areas and natural areas are closed to visitors, the state Division of Fish and Wildlife announced Tuesday morning.
A weather station on Long Beach Island registered a 109-mph wind gust at 10:53 a.m. during a tornadic thunderstorm, according to the National Weather Service. The service said the gust was an outlier and not representative of the tropical storm’s larger wind field. A nearby weather station in Little Egg Harbor reported a sustained wind of 52 mph and a gust to 70 mph.