60K Powerless As Severe Storms Slam NJ

UPDATE: Severe Storm Downs Trees, Sparks Wire Fire, Power Outages, Road Closures In NJ

Editor’s note: last updated 12:50 a.m. Tuesday.

As most Garden State Residents slept, a round of severe weather pounded the region, leaving tens of thousands in the dark.

While the tornado watch blanketing 16 counties expired in the early evening, severe thunderstorms with heavy winds and flooding triggered warnings shortly before midnight as the wild weather moved in.

Related: Tornado Watch Issued For 16 NJ Counties

With wind gusts reaching 50 mph on Monday afternoon and expected to increase to up to 80 mph in some parts of the state, electric companies were scrambling to address power outages.

See the latest outage numbers from New Jersey’s top four electricity providers, as of 12:50 a.m. Tuesday:

• JCP&L: 21,950 (report outage here)
• PSE&G: 23,902 (report outage here)
• Atlantic City Electric: 12,319 (report outage here)
• Orange & Rockland: 2,838 (report outage here)

National Weather Service forecasters are urging everyone to stay "weather aware" throughout Monday. Read more here.

Check back with Patch for outage and weather updates as conditions are expected to intensify.

— With reporting from Veronica Flesher