Severe Thunderstorm Watch in Effect Until 9 P.M.

The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement warning that Union County and other areas of New Jersey and New York could experience severe thunderstorms this afternoon with winds in excess of 60 mph, large hail, 1 to 2 inches of rainfall and frequent cloud to ground lightning.

According to the NWS, a strong cold front will push south across the area this afternoon:

"The heat and humidity of the past several days has created a very unstable atmosphere across the region and this will lead to the development of widespread thunderstorms.... The first areas to see thunderstorm development will be across far northern New Jersey and Lower Hudson Valley beginning around noon or 1 p.m."

The Service says that the storms will move "fairly quickly" to the southeast reaching NYC and coastal regions between 2 and 4 p.m.

The weather actually seems to be moving slower than predicted, but the radar map shows a clear line of storms in western and northern New Jersey as of 3:40 p.m.