Tropical Storm Debby tornado threat increases for N.J. Heavy rain, flash flooding in forecast. (2025)

UPDATE: Tropical Storm Debby remnants to blast N.J. with tornado threat, 50 mph wind gusts today

ALSO: Here’s why N.J. faces a tornado threat during the storms from Debby’s remnants

While the latest forecast track for Tropical Storm Debby, which made a second landfall early Thursday, has the remnants of the storm passing west of New Jersey, the threat of tornadoes and damaging winds Friday have increased for the state.

The rainfall total forecasts have dropped due to the change in path, but areas of New Jersey already saturated from drenching storms this week will be prone to additional flash flooding, according to the National Weather Service. Gusty winds could top 50 mph along the Jersey Shore.

“Some tornadoes are the main threat,” the National Weather Service’s office in New Jersey said early Thursday. “A more inland track of the remnants of Debby places our region in the more favorable zone for the tornado risk.”

Isolated severe thunderstorms are also possible. At the beaches, wind gusts of 35-50 mph are possible and there’s a moderate risk of rip currents.

• These 25 towns got a month of rain in 1 night Tuesday from drenching thunderstorms

Northwestern areas of New Jersey could get an additional 2 to 3 inches of rain by Friday night. An inch to 2 inches of rain is likely fall along the Interstate 95 corridor, while Jersey Shore areas are left with up to another inch. Forecasters caution that those amounts could wind up higher in areas where the strongest storms set up.

Winds inland are expected to be range from 15 to 25 mph with gusts of 30 to 40 mph.

Flash flooding on Friday is most likely to occur north and west of the Interstate 95 corridor. Some river flooding is also possible.

The first bands of Debby’s remnants should push into New Jersey on Thursday afternoon. A cloudy day with some rain is expected and highs will be in the mid 70s, the weather service said in its morning forecast discussion.

There could be rain overnight, but the most direct impacts from Debby won’t be felt until Friday.

Once Debby is gone, the good news is that an extended stretch of dry, sunny, less humid weather arrives on Saturday. Highs both weekend days will be in the low-to-mid 80s.

Tropical Storm Debby landfall

Tropical Storm Debby made a second landfall in South Carolina on its way up the East Coast, where residents as far north as Vermont could get several inches of rain this weekend.

The National Hurricane Center says Debby came ashore early Thursday near Bulls Bay, South Carolina. The storm is expected to keep moving inland, spreading heavy rain and possible flooding all the way up through the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast by the weekend.

Debby first made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday on the Gulf Coast of Florida. It is now a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds at 50 mph.

Considerable flooding is expected across parts of eastern South Carolina and southeast North Carolina through Friday, with an additional 3 to 9 inches of rain forecast, as well as in portions of Virginia, according to the hurricane center.

As of 5 a.m. Debby was centered 30 miles north-northeast of Charleston, South Carolina packing. The storm was headed northwest at 5 mph.

Current weather radar

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com