Powerful winds generated by strong thunderstorms have snapped trees and electrical lines in parts of New Jersey on Wednesday, sparking thousands of power outages across the state. Data compiled from NJ.com’s Power Outage Tracker — which monitors outage numbers from utility companies across the region — showed more than 18,000 homes and businesses without power as of 8 p.m. Wednesday. Weather forecasters are predicting strong thunderstorms to continue through midnight, so additional power outages are possible if wind gusts remain intense. Latest power outages in N.J. !function(){“use strict”; w…