Update: The tornado warning for Ocean, Monmouth and Burlington counties expired at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, with no confirmed reports of any funnel clouds touching down on the ground.
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for parts of three counties in New Jersey Tuesday evening and is urging people in those areas to seek immediate shelter inside a sturdy building and to stay away from windows.
The warning was issued at about 6:40 p.m. and is effective until 7:15 p.m., covering northern sections of Ocean County, northeastern Burlington County and southwestern Monmouth County.
Forecasters said wind rotation — an indication of a possible tornado — was detected on radar, prompting the tornado warning. But there were no reports of any funnel clouds on the ground.
If a tornado does touch down on the ground, “flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter,” the weather service noted. “Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.”
UPDATE: As of 7:35 p.m., the National Weather Service said there were no confirmed reports of any tornadoes touching down on the ground in any area of New Jersey. The weather service said it received some reports of trees and power lines knocked down by strong winds in Ocean County.
A tornado warning is more urgent than a tornado watch. A watch means atmospheric conditions are favorable for the development of rotating funnel clouds that could touch down on the ground.
A severe thunderstorm watch was activated at 1:45 p.m. and will be effective through 9 p.m. Tuesday in all 21 counties in New Jersey, along with the Philadelphia and New York City metro areas.
All of New Jersey remains under a flood watch, starting at 2 p.m. and continuing through midnight. In addition, most of the state is under a heat advisory because of air temperatures that rose into the 90s and high humidity making it feel as hot as 102 to 105 degrees.
Some areas of Ocean County got as hot as 97 or 98 degrees Tuesday afternoon, and one Shore town — Seaside Heights — reported an air temperature of 99 degrees.
Newark Liberty International Airport in Essex and Union counties got as hot as 100 degrees in the late afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. That was still 5 degrees away from matching its daily record high for July 8 — 105 degrees, set in 1993.
Current weather radar
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