Flood Watch Starts This Morning Across Much of New Jersey as Storm Risk Builds

A Flood Watch starts this morning across much of New Jersey, and forecasters say Saturday could turn rough fast.

As of early Saturday, July 18, the National Weather Service has a Flood Watch from 10 a.m. until 2 a.m. Sunday for northeast New Jersey, including Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex and Union counties, through the New York forecast office. The Mount Holly office says another Flood Watch remains in effect from Saturday morning through late Saturday night for Sussex, Warren, Morris, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer, Salem, Gloucester, Camden, Burlington and Ocean counties.

The watch matters because both offices are warning that multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms could hit the state today. Mount Holly says widespread severe weather and flash flooding are possible Saturday into Saturday night, with the greatest severe threat between noon and 10 p.m. The office says storms could bring damaging winds, a few tornadoes, and rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches in 1 to 2 hours.

The New York office says northeast New Jersey is under a Flood Watch because multiple rounds of heavy downpours could hit sensitive urban areas. Its Newark forecast also shows showers and possible thunderstorms Saturday, with widespread smoke lingering into the first part of the day before improving later.

For New Jersey residents, the practical issue is travel and quick-changing conditions. Roads, underpasses, low-lying areas, and poor-drainage spots can become a problem quickly if heavier bands set up, especially in urban counties and near streams or creeks.

What happens next depends on whether watches turn into warnings once storms start firing later today. If Flash Flood Warnings, Severe Thunderstorm Warnings or Tornado Warnings begin to stack up, the story shifts from setup to active impact.