07/18/2026
🌩️ Morris County Weather Update – Saturday Morning
Well... Mother Nature must have seen yesterday's post and replied, "Challenge accepted." 🌩️😏
We've been reviewing the latest forecast from multiple weather partners all morning, and while there are still some questions about exactly who gets the worst of today's weather, one thing is becoming increasingly clear...
Today has the potential to be a busy weather day across Morris County.
Our team participated in this morning's statewide weather briefing with the New Jersey State Police, the National Weather Service, and State emergency management leadership. Emergency Support Functions across New Jersey as well as JCP&L, are fully engaged, monitoring conditions, and prepared to respond as needed.
Here's what we're watching:
⛈️ Multiple rounds of thunderstorms from late morning through this evening.
🌧️ Torrential Rainfall
• Widespread rainfall of 0.50–1.00 inches
• Localized areas could receive 2–3 inches, with isolated locations potentially seeing even higher amounts if storms repeatedly move over the same area.
🌊 Flash Flooding
• A Flood Watch remains in effect.
• Roadways, low-lying areas, streams, and poor drainage locations could flood quickly.
• Remember...
🚗 Turn Around, Don't Drown.
💨 Damaging Winds
• Wind gusts of 40–60+ mph are possible.
• Downed trees, wires, and scattered power outages are possible.
⚡ Frequent Lightning
If thunder roars... head indoors.
🌪️ Tornado Potential
The National Weather Service has increased the tornado risk across portions of our region today. While tornadoes are not expected to be widespread in Morris County, an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out if the right storm develops.
We'll be monitoring conditions closely throughout the day and evening.
😷 Air Quality Alert
Smoke and haze have pushed air quality into unhealthy levels this morning. Individuals with asthma, COPD, heart disease, or other respiratory conditions should consider limiting prolonged outdoor activity until conditions improve later today.
A Little Weekend Homework...
Take a quick walk around your property.
Ask yourself...
"Would I rather my patio furniture stay on my deck... or introduce itself to the neighbors three streets over?" 😄
Now is a great time to secure:
• Patio furniture
• Umbrellas
• Grills
• Garbage cans
• Tents
• Anything else that prefers flying over staying put.
We Are Ready.
As always, the Morris County Office of Emergency Management and the Morris County Communications Center will be fully engaged throughout today's weather event, monitoring conditions, coordinating resources, and answering emergency calls.
Please remember that 911 is for emergencies involving immediate threats to life, safety, or property.
During significant weather events, our professional 911 telecommunicators are handling a high volume of emergency calls. If your situation is not an emergency, please use the appropriate non-emergency number so our operators remain available for those who need immediate assistance.
We remain in constant communication with all 39 Morris County municipalities, the National Weather Service, the New Jersey State Police, the Morris County Sheriff's Office, JCP&L, and all of our emergency response partners to coordinate resources and respond as conditions evolve.
We sincerely hope today ends up being much less than advertised... but if Mother Nature decides otherwise, we'll be here doing what we always do, working together to keep Morris County safe.
One Very Important Reminder:
⚡ If you lose power... REPORT IT.
Even if...
• Your whole neighborhood is out.
• Everyone on Facebook says they already reported it.
Please report YOUR outage directly to your electric utility provider.
Real-time outage reports help utility companies identify affected areas, prioritize repairs with OEM, and restore service more efficiently.
For JCP&L customers:
https://www.firstenergycorp.com/outages_help.html
Finally, thank you once again for all of the weather reports, photos, and updates you've been sharing with us over the past several weeks. They have been incredibly valuable during multiple weather events, and we truly appreciate the partnership.
Morris County has one of the most engaged communities anywhere, and that community involvement truly makes a difference.
We'll continue to monitor conditions throughout the day and provide updates whenever significant changes occur.
Stay weather aware.
Stay safe.
And remember... if your lawn chair starts applying for frequent flyer miles, it probably wasn't secured well enough. 😄
Morris County Communications Center
Morris County Sheriff's Office
Morris County Government
New Jersey Office of Emergency Management
