There is a severe thunderstorm watch for all of northern and central NJ until 10:00pm. At this time there are a few small but mighty storms in our area. There is a larger area of activity in central PA that may pass this way later, too.
A severe watch means there is a possibility of severe thunderstorm activity in the area. Severe storms are storms with damaging winds or hail, more than just the summer afternoon boomer. The best action during a watch is to pay attention to your phone, radio, TV, or other source of information that would alert you to a warning, which would mean a dangerous storm is immanent. (Use other media in addition to this page -- do not rely exclusively on this page as you may not get a warning in a timely manner here).
This afternoon's severe thunderstorm risk, from the NWS: