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UPDATE: Officials confirm a tornado hit Sussex County during strong thunderstorms Tuesday night

As parts of New Jersey clean up and assess damage after an afternoon and evening of wild weather that included a tornado possibly touching down in Sussex County, the state could be in for another round of dangerous thunderstorms packing heavy rain, strong wind gusts, hail and the potential once again for an isolated tornado starting Wednesday afternoon and into the evening.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for most of the state that goes into effect at 4 p.m. and lasts until late evening. Forecasters say 1.5 to 2 inches rain of rain could fall in North Jersey with 2.5 to 3 inches possible in southeastern New Jersey.

“Damaging winds” that accompany potential thunderstorms and frequent lightning strikes are all possible, according to the Wednesday morning forecast update.

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As of 7 a.m., thousands of homes and businesses in New Jersey remain without power following severe storms Tuesday night.

Lenape Valley Regional High School in Stanhope is closed Wednesday after sustaining damage from the possible tornado. The National Weather Service is sending a team to Sussex County to confirm whether a tornado caused the damage in the area of the high school.

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New Jersey power outage tracker

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“It looks like we’ll be in for another round of severe weather for pretty much all of New Jersey,” Michael Silva of the National Weather Service said Wednesday morning. “It’s looking like it will start in northern New Jersey around the beginning of the evening commute and then storms will track into southern New Jersey during the evening hours.”

Silva expects rounds of heavy rain from 4 p.m. until about midnight before precipitation tapers off.

The New York office of the National Weather Service said winds could gust over 58 mph and hail larger than 1 inch is possible.

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UPDATE: At 9:15 a.m., the severe weather outlook map was updated (new version above) to expand the "enhanced" threat area, leaving just a small portion of the state in the lower risk category.

Now, nearly all of the state is under an “enhanced” risk for thunderstorms, meaning numerous severe storms are possible. The enhanced risk area covers a larger portion of the state than Tuesday. Only northernmost areas fall under the less serious “slight” risk of severe thunderstorms on Wednesday.

Large hail and possible tornado also can’t be ruled out, the weather service says.

Flash flooding is also possible in spots where the heaviest rain falls, the weather service says. Urban and small stream flooding is also a threat.

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Until the rain arrives sometime after 2 p.m, it’ll be a cloudy, mild Wednesday. Temperatures across the state are well into the 60s as of 6:30 a.m. and figure to reach the low 80s in northwestern New Jersey and the upper 80s in deep South Jersey by this afternoon.

The worst of the wet weather winds down before midnight though another round of showers can’t be ruled out. The overnight weather will be warm and humid with temps in mainly in the 60s to low 70s.

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More showers and thunderstorms are possible Thursday and Thursday night, though there should be some sun with temps peaking at around 80.

Despite Tuesday's rough weather, rainfall totals weren't particularly high across New Jersey, according to the state climatologist's office. The highest totals - slightly more than inch - were in Woodbine and Dennis Township, both in Cape May County.

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Current New Jersey radar

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7-day forecast

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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