Heavy rain, gusty thunderstorms roll across New Jersey

⚡ Nearly 20,000 PSE&G and JCP&L customers were without power

⚡ Several hundred flights in and out of Newark Liberty were canceled

Strong thunderstorms knocked out power and flooded out local streets Tuesday afternoon.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for the entire state until 8 p.m. with warnings issued around the state as the storm approaches with heavy rain and gusty winds.

"Summertime is thunderstorm season in New Jersey," New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said. "Fueled by the warmth and humidity, Tuesday afternoon's thunderstorms produced some torrential rain and fierce winds. Top wind gusts were over 40 mph, more than enough to bring down large branches and cause power outages."

Flight cancellations piled up at Newark Liberty International Airport as the storms moved through with approximately 100 departures and 100 arrivals as of 4:30 p.m., according to FlightAware.com.

The number of power outages also climbed as the storms moved through, according to the utility outage website. As of 6:15 p.m.:

• JCP&L: Around 11,000 customers were without power in Essex (Millburn),  Morris (scattered), Sussex (Hamburg and Hardyston) and Union (Summit).
• PSE&G: Approximately 4,500 customers were without power including Bergen (scattered) and Union (Clark and Elizabeth).

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