The July Fourth holiday weekend started on a stormy note for many around the tri-state as a line of powerful thunderstorms swept through the area, bringing down trees and power lines.
Despite much of New York City being spared, storm reports showed damage from Connecticut into Central Jersey Thursday evening. In New Jersey, Middlesex, Somerset and Sussex counties appeared to have taken the brunt of the storms.
The areas of North Plainfield and South Plainfield had multiple reports of downed trees and wires. The mayor of Plainfield, Adrian Mapp, declared a state of emergency in the aftermath of the storms. Residents were urged to avoid driving and stay indoors as much as possible.
Gov. Phil Murphy said that the severe storms had resulted in fatalities, but no further details were immediately available regarding deaths.
"The towns of Plainfield, North Plainfield, Bound Brook, and Dunellen sustained damage, among others. If you’re in the area, please stay inside and avoid any downed trees, power lines, or burning transformers. We are in close touch with local mayors and emergency response officials to provide support," Murphy said on social media.
According to PSE&G, there were more than 10,000 customers without power after the storms.
There were a few reports of damage from the storms in NYC: On Staten Island, large trees came down on Christopher Lane near Croton Place and on Cromer Street in Annadale.
While the rest of the city was spared from the wind and rain (parts of Manhattan didn't see any rain at all), there were heavy downpours on Long Island. A tree fell onto Long Island Rail Road tracks heading out to the Hamptons, forcing trains to be held for some time after 8:30 p.m.
Approximately 10,400 customers lost power in Rockland County's Clarkstown, police said.
In Connecticut's Fairfield County, a tree fell on a car with people inside on White Plains Road in Trumbull, near the Merritt Parkway. One person was injured.
In Norwalk, a tree fell onto power lines and blocked traffic on Bayne Street, police said.
There were also reports of damage and severe weather in Dutchess, Sullivan and Ulster counties in New York north of I-84. Near Fishkill, there were more than 2,000 people who lost power.
NYC-area airports all had ground delays or ground stops as the storms hit in the evening. Newark Airport and JFK Airport both had ground delays of more than two hours, while LaGuardia had full ground stop for some time, leading to departure delays of an hour and a half.
The damages came as a result of storms that triggered severe thunderstorm warnings for much of the tri-state during the early evening hours, putting a damper on those looking to get a head start on travel or celebrations. Check the latest weather alerts for your neighborhood.
The storms did not come out of nowhere, as they had been developing in Upstate New York and central Pennsylvania during the afternoon. The entire New York City area was under a thunderstorm watch for hours, with the exception of Ocean County in New Jersey. That meant atmospheric conditions were favorable for severe weather, even if severe weather wasn't necessarily occurring at the moment.
The good news: Now that the storms have moved on, it's smooth sailing for the holiday weekend and beyond.
Perfect July Fourth weather ahead
Once the storms exit the region Thursday evening, we’ll get an influx of dry air pouring into the tri-state as a northwest wind picks up. Not only will this make for a refreshing breeze heading into Friday, but it will send humidity way down, giving way to a dry, comfortable, and sunny Fourth of July.
In fact, July Fourth is going to be our nicest day weather-wise this entire week. High temperatures will be just about average for this time of year with very low humidity.
It will be perfect for any outdoor plans you may have from start to finish. And that includes any fireworks shows in the evening. Skies will be clear, winds will be light, and temperatures will be in the upper 70s. You won’t even need a sweatshirt, just a blanket or lawn chair to sit on as you watch the show.
And as if near-perfect weather for the holiday itself wasn’t enough, the weather stays dry all weekend. We hold onto the low humidity on Saturday with just a few more clouds as winds shift south. But it will get progressively hotter through the weekend. Highs will push into the 90s in some areas on Saturday, with mid-90s by Monday.
Humidity will also be on the rise by Sunday, so the beach might be a perfect place to beat the heat. Just don’t forget the SPF, the sunshine will be strong.
If you plan to travel out of state for the holiday weekend, weather across the northeast is going to be spectacular from start to finish.
It feels like Mother Nature is finally making up for all of those miserable rainy weekends we had this spring.