By Seth Augenstein/The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger   

MORRISTOWN — After a storm swept through the state Monday, knocking over trees and downing power lines, most customers’ power connections have been restored, the major electricity companies are reporting this morning.

About 500 customers remain without power in Morris County as of 9 a.m., according to JCP&L. But only scattered outages remain in the rest of the company’s 12 other counties – and PSE&G is reporting only scattered connections lost in its seven counties.

 However, Elmwood Park’s public schools are all closed today, because of power outages at the middle and high schools, the district said in a statement on its website.

 At one point on Monday evening, some 10,000 total outages were reported by the two power companies.  The storm brought 60 mph wind gusts and heavy rains in some parts of the Garden State. A tornado watch had been issued by the National Weather Service for parts of the state. Though no twisters were reported touching down, a funnel cloud was reported in the sky in the area of the Lakeview section of Paterson, said David Stark, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's office in Upton, N.Y. The funnel cloud was seen at 3:15 p.m. in the area of Trenton Avenue and Michigan Avenue.

 Most of the damages reported across the state, however, were from "straight-line wind damage" in the state, Stark added. In Bergenfield, a woman and her daughter were hospitalized after being hit by a falling tree limb.

Posted: 07/09/2013 12:05 pm  EDT  |  Updated: 07/09/2013 5:22 pm EDT 

From Climate Central's Andrew   Freedman:

 Hurricanes are Mother Nature’s largest and most destructive storms. Fed by warm ocean waters and moist atmospheric conditions, about 90 such  storms — also known as tropical cyclones — form worldwide each year. With the  population of coastal areas growing daily and sea level on the rise, how these  monster storms may change as the climate continues to warm is an  increasingly  urgent question facing climate scientists, insurance companies, and public  officials.

 A new study by Kerry Emanuel, a prominent hurricane researcher  at MIT, found that contrary to previous findings, tropical cyclones are likely  to become both stronger and more frequent in the years to come, especially in  the western North Pacific, where storms can devastate the heavily populated  coastlines of Asian nations. Emanuel's research showed the same holds
true for  the North Atlantic, where about 12 percent of the world's tropical cyclones spin  each year.

By Stephen Stirling/The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger   

It reads like a grocery list of severe weather threats. Strong tornadoes. Large hail. Damaging winds. Significant flooding.  

All are on the table for New Jersey Thursday in what is becoming an increasingly worrisome situation, according to weather forecasters.  

“This is one of those days that could end up being really memorable,” said Gary Szatkowski, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office. “This has the potential to be historic and we need to treat it that way.”
 
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A weakened Tropical Storm Andrea will dump one to two inches of rain on New Jersey today, prompting some flooding and making for treacherous road
conditions. Still south of New Jersey, but moving quickly, the storm is expected to bring several more inches later today, according to the National Weather Service.

 "It's basically on track, and we are expecting the heaviest rain to fall this
afternoon, from 1 p.m. on," meteorologist Greg Heavener said. "The heaviest is still to come."

The Weather Channel released its first 2013 Atlantic hurricane season outlook on April 8, 2012, calling for another active season.

The forecast calls for a total of 16 named storms, 9 of which are expected to become hurricanes, including 5 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale). 

These forecast numbers are above the long-term average from 1950-2012 (12 named storms, 7 hurricanes, 3 major hurricanes) and slightly above the averages for the current active era from 1995-2012 (15 named storms, 8 hurricanes, 4 major hurricanes).

Three straight Atlantic hurricane seasons have had 19 storms.  Only seven Atlantic seasons have had more hurricanes than last season's 10 hurricanes.  Among the four U.S. landfalls were the most intense tropical cyclone to make a U.S. landfall prior to June 1 (Tropical Storm Beryl), a soaking Tropical Storm Debby, a painfully slow Hurricane Isaac, and one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history, Superstorm Sandy. (Sandy became a "post-tropical" system shortly before landfall.)

UPDATE: Colorado State University (CSU) released it's forecast for the 2013 hurricane season on April 10, 2012. Similar to The Weather Channel forecast, CSU expects an above-average hurricane season. The team is predicting a total of 18 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher).

Don't be caught in the dark again... Call Standby Energy Solutions and get your standby home generator installed today.

Extended power outages have become a normal occurrence in the New Jersey area. In a 14 month period, New Jersey had 3 major storms that left millions without power.

Hurricane Irene; August 2011 - Left over 1.4 million homes without power
Halloween Snow Storm: October 2011 - Left over 600 thousand homes without power
Hurricane Sandy: October 2012 - Left over 2.7 million homes without power

Many people were left without power for weeks.  The real costs of displacement, damage to you home, food loss along with the cost your inconvenience and peace of mind make the purchase of a Standby Generator a smart investment for the inevitable next big storm.

The American Society of Civil Engineers just released their 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. The electrical grid received a D+. (www.infrastructurereportcard.org) 
“America relies on an aging electrical grid and pipeline distribution systems, some of which originated in the 1800s.  Investment in power transmission has increased since 2005, but ongoing permitting issues, weather events, and limited maintenance have contributed to an increasing number of failures and power interruptions.”

The aging electrical grid along with the increased number of severe storms that we continue to have are making the next power outage inevitable.  Standby generators are becoming a necessity for everyone versus an insurance luxury for the wealthy. A standby generator provides 24/7 automatic power protection.  Power outages don’t always occur at the most convenient times.  An outage in the middle of the night can lead to confusion and a scramble to find flashlights and candles.  If it happens while you are away, it can leave your home vulnerable to flooding with no sump pumps or frozen pipes, a down alarm system that can attract burglars and a refrigerator full of spoiled food. Regardless if you are asleep in bed or away on a trip, you know that your home and family are always protected and safe with a standby generator from Standby Energy Solutions.