Alert: High Winds, Flash Floods, Power Outages Possible Due to Oncoming Storm

The Cranford Police Department and several other local departments are issuing advisories about high wind, rain, flash flooding and possible power outages due to an oncoming storm that will hit our area Wednesday evening.

Below, alerts from the National Weather Service and PSEG.

The National Weather Service has issued the following advisories for flash floods and high winds beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday night through 6 a.m. Thursday morning:

.HEAVY RAIN EXPECTED TONIGHT CAUSING POSSIBLE FLASHY URBAN AND
SMALL STREAM FLOODING...

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...

THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR

* PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY AND SOUTHEAST NEW YORK...
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY...
EASTERN BERGEN...EASTERN ESSEX...EASTERN PASSAIC...EASTERN
UNION...HUDSON...WESTERN BERGEN...WESTERN ESSEX...WESTERN
PASSAIC AND WESTERN UNION. IN SOUTHEAST NEW YORK...BRONX...
KINGS (BROOKLYN)...NEW YORK (MANHATTAN)...NORTHERN QUEENS...
NORTHERN WESTCHESTER...ORANGE...RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)...
ROCKLAND...SOUTHERN QUEENS AND SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER.

* THROUGH LATE TONIGHT.

* A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY BANDS OF HEAVY
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT.
WIDESPREAD RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE EXPECTED...WITH
MAXIMUM RAINFALL RATES CLOSE TO AN INCH PER HOUR WITH THE
HEAVIEST BANDS OF SHOWERS.

* THESE RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD CAUSE FLASHY URBAN AND POOR
DRAINAGE FLOODING...AND FLOODING OF FAST RESPONDING SMALL
STREAMS. MAIN STEM RIVERS SHOULD REMAIN WITHIN THEIR BANKS.

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...STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS EXPECTED THIS EVENING INTO
OVERNIGHT...

...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM EST
THURSDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM EST
THURSDAY. THE HIGH WIND WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* LOCATIONS...INLAND SECTIONS NORTH AND WEST OF THE NEW YORK
CITY METROPOLITAN AREA.

* HAZARDS...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

* WINDS...SOUTH 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH.

* TIMING...STRONG WINDS THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT.

* IMPACTS...STRONG WINDS...IN COMBINATION WITH HEAVY RAIN...
COULD BRING DOWN WHOLE TREES...LARGE TREE LIMBS...POWER LINES
AND UNSECURED OUTDOOR OBJECTS. THIS COULD POSE A HAZARD TO
ANYONE OUT DRIVING OR WALKING WEDNESDAY NIGHT...AND TO HOUSES
AND OTHER STRUCTURES NEAR LARGER TREES. DRIVING WILL ALSO BE
DIFFICULT... ESPECIALLY IN HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES AND ON ELEVATED
ROADWAYS AND BRIDGES.

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PSEG released the following alert for our area:

PSE&G is closely monitoring the track of the approaching storm and making emergency preparations should it bring high winds and heavy rain to our service territory. At this time, the storm is expected to begin impacting New Jersey late Wednesday and continue through early Thursday morning.

As part of our ongoing efforts to keep customers informed during severe weather events, we are providing the following information in anticipation of the storm:

• PSE&G is scheduling additional personnel overnight to be ready to respond to outages as soon as the strong winds subside and it is safe to work in bucket trucks and other equipment. We work closely with towns and counties to clear roads so that we can respond to outages in a timely manner.
• High winds might cause trees to brush up against power lines, and lightning could strike and damage trees or pole-top equipment. Outages may be caused by falling trees and limbs, which bring down power lines. Downed wires should always be considered “live.” STAY AWAY FROM ALL DOWNED LINES. Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything that it might be in contact with.
• To report downed wires or power outages, customers should call PSE&G's Customer Service line at 1-800-436-PSEG. PSE&G uses an automated system to handle customer calls as efficiently as possible. Customers who get an automated response when calling PSE&G are encouraged to use it, as it is designed to route their calls to the right destination quickly. The system also provides the option to speak directly to a customer service representative. If you have specific information regarding damage to wires, transformers or poles, we ask that you speak with a representative to provide that information.
• Customers with a handheld device, or who are at an alternate location with power, can also report power outages and view the status of their outage by logging in to My Account at pseg.com. General outage activity information, as well as safety tips, can be found at pseg.com/outageinfo.
• You can also follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/psegdelivers.