Isaias battered New Jersey with heavy rain and strong winds today, and gusty winds still pose a threat.

New Jersey has seen gusts over 40 mph. Anything loosened by the wind earlier could still be susceptible to falling.

Conditions should ease into the evening, but there could still be rogue thunderstorms developing further south.

Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency Monday ahead of the arrival of the storm. 

Tropical Storm warnings are in effect for the entire New Jersey coast. A tornado watch was issued for all of New Jersey until 4 p.m. Coastal flood advisories and flood warnings are also in place throughout the state.

Isaias had been categorized as a hurricane as it made landfall over the Carolinas. It had gone from being a hurricane, to a tropical storm and back to a hurricane.

 

Isaias as picked up steam around the time of arrival, which means the effects will generally be the worst for about a 4-6 hour window. Southern and Central New Jersey were the first to feel the impacts, with steady rain and winds arriving around lunchtime, lasting through dinnertime. During that time, areas are expected to see between 2-3 inches or 4-5 inches of rain with winds gusting between 40-70 mph.

Heavy rainfall will lead to localized flooding, especially in coastal areas where tides will run higher than normal. Coastal flooding will be worse at high tide. The storm surge coupled with a full moon high tide will likely exaggerate some areas of coastal flooding.

Northern New Jersey, the NYC area and Long Island will feel the worst effects late this afternoon, lasting through 8 or 9 p.m.

Bergen, Union, Middlesex and other northern counties are expected to see winds between 50-60 mph frequently. The heavy rain will be brief, heading toward the north and west of I-287.

The storm is expected to cut through the middle of the state, with the heaviest rains being in Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. There could be little rain near the shoreline, but strong gusts are still expected.

The winds are expected to be the strongest on and east of the turnpike, while being weaker in the north and west. While the winds will not be as strong, they may still be enough to bring down trees and power lines, especially combined with heavy preceding rains.

The Hudson Valley and Connecticut will be about the same, beginning in the early evening and lasting through about 9 p.m. Conditions will quiet down shortly thereafter, setting up much for much quieter weather for any cleanup.

Coastal flooding and beach erosion are also likely as the storm rolls through. Power outages are possible due to the chance for damaging, gusty winds and ground saturation from the storm.

The storm will be a quick mover, departing around 8 p.m., with tranquil weather expected for the rest of the week.

There will also be life-threatening conditions at the Jersey Shore, with seas at 8-11 feet, rip currents and beach erosion.

The stormy conditions could persist into Wednesday as Isaias sweeps over the Northeast.