T-storms rock area, push out heat wave

T-storms rock area, push out heat wave
Lightning strikes, heavy hail, power outages hit Shore area

A swift-moving thunderstorm snapped a triple-digit heat wave but caused house fires, downed trees and power outages in Monmouth and northern Ocean counties late Wednesday afternoon.

“It was a circus — I never saw anything like it,” said 92-year-old Earl Way, whose home sits near Sandy Hook Bay in Atlantic Highlands. “At 5:25 p.m., everything just blew apart. It was awesome. It came so fast. The water was three or four feet high. You wouldn’t believe it.”
The severe weather caused more than 1,800 Jersey Central Power & Light customers to lose power Wednesday afternoon in Colts Neck, Freehold, Howell, Middletown, Marlboro and Ocean townships, and Little Silver, according to the company’s outage map.
Between a half inch and an inch of hail was reported in Jackson, Freehold, Middletown and Red Bank, the National Weather Service said.

Storm clouds build over Ocean Pathway in Ocean Grove Wednesday evening. / THOMAS P. COSTELLO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Monmouth County dispatchers reported substantial numbers of lightning strikes and downed trees in roadways, especially in Tinton Falls and Fair Haven.
On Washington Street in Keyport, lightning struck a house, knocking down wallboard on a second-floor bathroom, Police Lt. Anthony Gallo said.
“There was really no damage to the outside of the house,” he said. “It was very bizarre. The residents were home, but no one was hurt. While we were there, lightning struck a house across the street but we couldn’t confirm it. Two other houses lost power.”
At 5:49 p.m., Monmouth County emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from a female who reported her boyfriend was in distress in Raritan Bay by the Keyport Yacht Club after his boat tipped over, Gallo said.
“It was discovered the call was a hoax,” he said, declining to give more information early Wednesday evening.
Union Beach police Sgt. Timothy Kelly said lightning struck a home on Florence Avenue, starting a fire that caused minimal damage and was out before firefighters arrived.
The National Weather Service in Mount Holly had issued a severe thunderstorm watch Wednesday for 16 counties in New Jersey.
“Some storms have been producing hail and locally strong winds this evening, so that’s a concern,” meteorologist Kristin Kline of the weather service said.