Thousands lose power as powerful winds continue to batter NJ

🚨A strong cold front swept across New Jersey late Sunday afternoon

🚨JCP&L power outages spiked from 5,000 to 50,000 in an hour

🚨The gusty winds will continue into Monday

Strong winds have knocked out power for thousands of JCP&L, PSE&G and Atlantic City Electric customers across New Jersey.

A cold front swept across the state with strong gusty winds with 71 mph recorded at Atlantic City International Airport, 66 at the Joint Base Dix-McGuire-Lakehurst A gust of 63 mph was measured in Sea Girt and 60 in Trenton, according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts are expected between 40 and 60 mph through the night, according to NJ 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow.

"This, much like the numbers right now, very fluid. Obviously when the squall line came through that had some very, very strong gusts with it and we saw a spike. We went from 5,000 out to over 50,000 out in the space of under an hour. So that squall line obviously had some some very serious winds," JCP&L spokesman Chirs Hoenig told New Jersey 101.5.

Hoenig said crews began staffing up for the storm on Saturday working 16 hour shifts. Safety is paramount to getting power restored as stong winds are expected to continue through much of Monday.

"We are watching the continuing gusts. If they continue to be above the safety thresholds, which are 40 miles an hour if you are not handling materials in the buckets, 30 miles per hour if you are handling materials," Hoenig said. If it's consistent winds up over 30 miles per hour it's going to slow getting some of the new poles set."

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