Powerful thunderstorms knock out power, trap drivers in NJ

TRENTON — Strong thunderstorms rolled into New Jersey early Tuesday afternoon with heavy rain and gusty winds that brought down power lines and left people trapped in cars.

The storms moved from northwest to northeast in a powerful line. Temperatures plummet by at least 20 degrees as the storms moved through.

Forecasters expect the storms to last until 8:30 p.m.

About 6,000 customers of JCP&L and PSE&G were without power as of 6:55 p.m.

• 3,682 PSE&G customers mostly in Essex County (Newark)
• 2,298 JCP&L customers mostly in Morris (Mt. Olive) and Ocean (Brick & Toms River) counties

Newark, Philadelphia, JFK and LaGuardia Airports were all on ground stops, according to FlightAware.com.