Tornado watch issued for 8 NJ counties as powerful storms move in

The National Weather Service says strong and severe thunderstorms are possible for Montgomery County and much of the Washington, D.C., region Wednesday afternoon and evening.

A series of loud thunderclaps startled residents starting around 7:30 p.m., and they were only the leading edge of a massive storm system that had spawned tornados across Virginia and North Carolina earlier in the day, said Faye Barthold, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. Counties in the watch include Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester in Maryland; and Accomack County in Virginia.

Tornado warning updates and school dismissal information will be posted on Twitter.

That differs from a warning, which is issued when a severe thunderstorm “has developed and his either produced a tornado or radar has indicated intense low level rotation in the presence of atmospheric conditions conducive to tornado development”.

Tornado warnings have been canceled in Robeson County but other severe weather alerts remain in effect.

Before the tornado watch was issued, the weather service said New Jersey could be hit with strong thunderstorms Wednesday evening, and wind gusts could go as high as 50 miles per hour, particularly in coastal areas.

The watch is in effect until 9 p.m.

Hail of up to 1-inch diameter was possible, the National Weather Service said.

Officials have confirmed three people have died in the storms that tore through southeast Virginia.