Remnants of Debby to bring more rain Friday before weekend clear up

Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby will continue to bring heavy rain and wind Friday, but a much clearer weekend is to come.

The active weather from Debby is out in central Pennsylvania and Maryland Friday morning, but later in the afternoon and into the early evening, some storms may begin to move through, according to the National Weather Service. This could produce heavy, localized rain, while other areas could receive next to nothing.

Tornado watches have been issued throughout New Jersey, in 17 counties, because of threats of storms that could pop up thanks to Debby. Monmouth and Ocean counties are not part of the watch, but storms are expected throughout the day. Along with the threat of storms, the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for most of the state, with gusts of over 50 mph possible.

Steven DiMartino, certified digital meteorologist from NYNJPA Weather, said the core of Debby will be missing Ocean and Monmouth counties.

"The original threat from a couple days ago of four to eight inches of rain and massive flooding, that's all off the table," he said.

Still, Ray Martin, meteorologist for the National Weather Service at Mt. Holly, said there is a lot of wind in the atmosphere as Debby passes off to the northwest. With this comes the potential for strong damaging winds and tornados.

"It's not going to be everyone...[but] it's something to be aware of and alert for," he said.

Storms could begin as early as noon, but will likely start a little later, with the weather persisting until 8 or 9 p.m. Friday evening, Martin said.

The weather service has issued a wind advisory until 11 p.m. Friday and a high surf advisory until 8 p.m. Friday in Monmouth County. A coastal flood advisory until Saturday at 6 a.m. and a wind advisory until 11 p.m. Friday have been issued for Ocean County.

With this, Martin said Friday is definitely not a good day for the beach.

"Maybe you could go on the beach, but I wouldn't go in the water," he said. "It's definitely a dangerous day."

DiMartino advised against outdoor activities.

"These types of tropical thunderstorms produce a lot of lightning," he said. "The thunderstorm doesn't need to be over you to get hit by lightning."

DiMartino said power outages, downed trees and other minor damages could be expected.

In the Barnegat Bay, some minor tidal flooding is expected later Friday, according to Martin.

While beachgoers might be disappointed in Friday's outlook, Martin said the rest of the weekend is looking pretty good, with a significant improvement Saturday and an even better Sunday.

"It's not a washout weekend," he said.

Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Remnants of Debby to bring more rain Friday before weekend clear up