Thousands of New Jersey homes and businesses are without power Thursday as severe thunderstorms with up to 65 mph winds pound the state with torrential rain.

More than 6,000 customers were without power as of 3 p.m., according to the four utility companies for New Jersey.

The storms have triggered multiple thunderstorm and flash flood warnings along with a tornado warning, which has since expired.

The utility company breakdown of outages is as follows:

• JCP&L: 1,116
• PSE&G: 5,041 outages
• Atlantic City Electric: 94 outages
• Rockland Electric: 0 outages

New Jersey was already under a state of emergency due to flooding concerns as of 2 p.m. A statewide flood watch runs until 6 a.m. Friday for most of the state.

The weather service also issued a severe thunderstorm watch for 18 counties through 8 p.m. with up to 65 mph winds possible.

The National Weather Service described today’s weather as having a “moderate risk (level 3 out of 4) of flash flooding.”

Potential rainfall amounts range from 1 to 3 inches, and locally possible amounts up to 5 to7 inches. Rainfall rates could exceed 2 inches per hour, potentially overwhelming drainage systems.

Meteorologists warn that the storms could produce locally damaging wind gusts and significant flooding, particularly in central and northern New Jersey.

Residents are advised to have a reliable way to receive weather warnings and to avoid driving through flooded roadways.

The severe weather is expected to continue through late Thursday night, with a cold front slowly moving southward across the region and bringing continued thunderstorm activity.

Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story, which was reviewed and edited by NJ Advance Media staff.