Thunderstorms Bring Heavy Rain, Lightning

A line of thunderstorms swept through the area late Wednesday, bringing gusting winds and heavy downpours before moving out.

Track the storm on the Interactive Radar.

Thunderstorm warnings were issued in central New Jersey before the line of storms moved east with wind gusts of up to 50 mph, lightning and heavy rain.

In New York City, the roof of a house in Flushing, Queens caught fire after an apparent lightning strike. One person was in the house but was uninjured.

The showers have brought a cold front that will revert temperatures to the brisk 50-degree range that better characterizes the average mercury for this time of year, forecasters say.

Weather reality returns for the tri-state area Thursday as clouds dominate the sky and an Atlantic Ocean breeze keeps temperatures in the 50s. Meteorologists expect a 20 to 30 degree drop in high temperatures over the next 24 hours.

Another heavy band of rain and thunderstorms is expected to move through the region Friday, dumping about an inch of rain -- much-needed rain, in some parts -- on the tri-state area.

Wet weather moves out by the weekend, but temperatures will stay about average for early-to-middle spring in the high 50s. Mostly sunny skies should make it feel a bit warmer.

Forecasters say the mercury jumps back up to 60 degrees by early next week

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