A powerful thunderstorm passed through New Jersey Tuesday night, leaving damage and power outages in its path.

The storms caused the National Weather Service to issue tornado warnings for several counties around northern and southern areas of the state. There were reports of strong wind and damage, but it was unclear if an actual tornado touched down in the Garden State.

Witnesses reported strong winds, heavy rain, hail and lots of thunder and lightning. JCP&L reported that nearly 16,000 customers were without power for a time.

There were reports of damage at Lenape Valley Regional High School in Stanhope due to the storm. The Sussex County Sheriff's Office says that people were evacuated from the school Tuesday night while an event was happening inside the gymnasium. No injuries were reported.

The school’s website states that school will be closed Wednesday and all after-school activities were canceled.

Newark Liberty International Airport reported delays due to strong winds and rain. Travelers are advised to check in with their airlines to find out the status of their flights.

The storms are expected to clear out by Wednesday morning, with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low-80s in the forecast.

Thursday is expected to see mostly cloudy skies and scattered thunderstorms. Temperatures should be in the low-80s.

Sunshine is expected to return Friday with a high of around 77 degrees and a low of around 60 degrees.