Tornado watch in effect for northwestern New Jersey as Debby's impact arrives
WESTFIELD, N.J. -- A tornado watch remains in effect for the northwestern part of New Jersey, as the remnants of Debby slowly move into the region.
The lieutenant governor also declared a state of emergency.
Strong winds could take down trees and cause power outages, and the slow-moving rain is expected to soak already saturated areas.
Tornado watch for several New Jersey counties
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch until at least 10 p.m. for Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties, along with Sullivan and Orange counties in New York.
A tornado watch means residents should take precautions, whereas a tornado warning means danger is more imminent.
Under a tornado watch, the National Weather Service recommends people review their emergency plans, take inventory of their supplies and be ready to act quickly.
"We want our residents to exercise caution and remain vigilant," Acting Gov. Tahesha Way said Friday morning. "So what we have done in the state is, of course, our State Emergency Operations Center is actively monitoring the weather event and coordinating with our local, county, state and federal partners."
Trees already down around Morris and Union
A tree fell onto a power line Friday morning in Florham Park, burning a hole in the pavement and shutting down the road.
Several trees came down onto homes and cars from earlier storms around the state this week. One fell onto two houses in East Orange, and dozens more came down in Madison.
Officials say the ground is saturated from the rain, contributing to all the problems, and many roads are still closed.
The superintendent of the electric company in Madison said the damage on Tuesday was extensive: close to a dozen poles down, transformer boxes landing on the street and power outages.
"Everything got black and before you know it, you couldn't see out the window. It looked like a fog was rolling in. It was from the rain and wind. It was almost like a Sandy, like 60, 70 mile an hour winds," Madison Electric Superintendent Jimmy Mattina said.
"We have a forecast right now that we don't know what's gonna happen, so the best thing to make it as smooth as possible is just to get as many people as we can safely to their destination without navigating roads during high winds. And what people may think as a nice drive down the street, a little breeze as you're feeling now, because of ground saturation could put something right down on top of that car," said Jeff Paul, director of the Morris County Office of Emergency Management.
New Jersey residents are urged to stay home if they don't have to be out.
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