Tropical Storm will bring gusty winds, some heavy rain to NJ

As the projected track of Tropical Storm Nicole moves further north the potential impact of the storm on New Jersey has changed with less rain and more wind

Nicole and her maximum sustained winds of 70 mph are expected to make landfall as a hurricane in the Stuart, Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce area of Florida on Wednesday night. The storm is projected to cross Florida before heading north along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains toward New Jersey.

The main impact of the Nicole on New Jersey will be areas of heavy rain and wind but flooding is not a big concern.

Showers turn to rain

Showers that start Friday morning will get heavier in the afternoon with 1-2 inches possible by the time the rain ends Saturday morning. The higher amounts will fall well north of the Route 95 corridor with less rainfall closer to the coast.

The rain could be locally heavy at times in the afternoon and evening as Nicole brings higher humidity to the state. Severe isolated thunderstorms are also a possibility along with the slight chance of a tornado developing.

Gusty winds

Nicole could also bring gusty winds to New Jersey, especially along the coast where winds could gust out of the southwest between 40 and 50 mph. Gusts will be between 30 and 40 mph away from the coast but could kick up in thunderstorms.

Even as the rain comes to an end Saturday morning the winds will continue but decrease in the afternoon.

New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow is on vacation this week but is keeping an eye on Nicole between rides.  He returns Monday, November 14.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.