Gov. Murphy responds after deadly New Jersey storm kills 3, causing significant damage and outages across Plainfield and nearby towns.

Severe storms in New Jersey have resulted in "fatalities," Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed in a statement on social media.

Three people were killed when severe thunderstorms swept through Plainfield and North Plainfield, New Jersey on Thursday night, officials say. CBS News New York's Elijah Westbrook reports on the damage.

Repeated rounds of stormy weather loitering off the Southeast coast could do more than just dampen fireworks celebrations in Florida this weekend – there’s a good chance it becomes hurricane season’s next named storm.

As of the NHC's latest update, issued early Thursday morning, the agency said there was now a 50 percent chance of cyclone formation over the next seven days, and a low, 10 percent chance of formation in the next 48 hours.

A disturbance located about 100 miles offshore of the northeast Florida Coast could become a short-lived tropical depression or storm over the holiday weekend. Heavy rains and rip currents will be possible for parts of Florida, Georgia and the coastal Carolinas, and the storm could even get a name.

Four states are at risk of seeing impacts from Tropical Storm Chantal should it form over the holiday weekend. AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva told Newsweek that if the storm appears this weekend, it will be well ahead of schedule for the season, as the average third storm of a hurricane season typically forms around August 3.

The NHC has an area of interest off the east coast of the United States highlighted for potential development this weekend.