This week's every-other-day storm pattern broke slightly from tradition, delivering a surprise around lunchtime for part of the tri-state.
The National Weather Service has already confirmed an EF-0 tornado touched down in Pemberton Township, that's in Burlington County, just west of the Jersey Shore.
Storm survey crews are expected to release a more detailed report of the storm activity later Friday, but there were no immediate reports of any serious injuries or widespread destruction hours after its touchdown.
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Showers and storms kicked off around midday and into the early afternoon in central and western New Jersey before moving into the rest of the tri-state. Several severe thunderstorm warnings were issued starting around lunchtime for central New Jersey as the intense storms arrived.
A severe thunderstorm watch was issued for Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties in southern and central New Jersey until 6 p.m., meaning conditions were favorable for severe storms to develop there.
The storms wreaked havoc at NYC-area airports, including forcing a ground stop for flights to Newark International Airport until 2 p.m. There were also ground delays of more than two hours at JFK Airport, and more than 1.5 hours at Newark. LaGuardia Airport was seeing delays of 45 mins as of 1:15 p.m.
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In a change to the pattern, a second day of rain and showers is expected on Saturday. A few isolated showers and storms are possible late Friday night into Saturday morning, and then more widely scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. The day won't be a rainout, and the storms won't be completely widespread. But the chance for wet weather still looms.
The good news: The rainy weather takes a break for Father's Day, as Sunday looks clear with highs near 80 degrees, and more clear skies are expected Monday for the Juneteenth holiday.
There remains the chance for more rain later in the week as well. Summer arrives next Wednesday with slightly below average temperatures, and a chance for rain returning late next week.
While it may put a damper on outdoor plans (or at least make you think twice before planning an outdoor event), the rain is needed. Large portions of the tri-state have been dry through nearly the entire spring.
Dry conditions expanded across a good amount of northern New Jersey late last week, and much of Pennsylvania is in "moderate drought" territory. Even with the recent storms, it likely didn't erase the dry conditions altogether.
Check the latest weather alerts for your neighborhood here.
Take a look at the 10-day forecast below.
