Severe weather that rumbled through the region this morning will give way to a blazing hot day, with high temperatures inland to soar near 100 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
A heat advisory is in effect for all inland areas from noon until 7 p.m. Storms are not expected later this afternoon. The weather service forecast calls for temperatures inland forecast to reach the upper 90s to near 100, with a heat index of more than 100 degrees.
Along the coast, temperatures are forecast to reach the low 90s with a westerly wind. Thursday's heat at the coast did produce a sea breeze that brought afternoon temperatures in many coastal areas down to the mid to upper 70s, but it's unclear whether that will happen again today.
The heat will continue throughout the weekend, but a stalled cold front across the area could allow severe thunderstorms to develop Saturday.
This morning’s severe weather prompted early morning warnings as a line of storms stretching from the Delaware Bay to Central Jersey barreled across the state, with intense lightning, heavy rain, occasional hail and high winds that downed trees in some areas.
As of 8:15 a.m., 511NJ.org reported that a downed tree on Route 47 in Dennis Township had forced one lane to be closed temporarily. Power outages were scattered throughout the region, according to Atlantic City Electric. Much of those outages were reported in the western part of the state, but Atlantic County had 760 outages as of 8:15, according to Atlantic City Electric, and Cape May had about 100 outages reported.
