After three tornadoes were preliminarily reported in New Jersey during Tuesday's storms, surveys conducted by the National Weather Service revealed a fourth.
On Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tornado warning for Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Morris, Passaic, and Somerset counties. Most counties in New Jersey remained under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. Tuesday, with Central Jersey watches being lifted around 7 p.m.
Initially, two tornadoes were reported in North Jersey, and one was reported in the south. It turns out there were actually three tornadoes in the north, according to experts.
The storms prompted the NWS to conduct storm surveys on Wednesday, which analyze the power of the tornado and the damage it caused. The NWS uses the Enhanced Fujita Scale, or EF Scale, to classify twisters into the following categories:
1. Mount Olive and Stanhope Twister
At 2 p.m., a twister formed in Stanhope that had peak winds of 80 to 90 mph, an EF-1.
The tornado was about 250 yards wide and traveled about a mile and a half before dissipating in Netcong. It lasted about five minutes, experts say.
Several roads in the area suffered damage from fallen trees, including I-80 and Highway 206. Additionally, a number of homes saw damage on Koclas Drive, with shingles blown off the roof of one residence and gutter damage at another.
2. Lower Berkshire Valley (Roxbury) Twister
About ten minutes after the first twister dissipated, another one started up in the Lower Berkshire Valley section of Roxbury Township.
This tornado kicked off at around 2:15 and was also classified as an EF-1, coming in with 100-110 mph peak winds.
The 250-yard-wide twister started and ended in Roxbury, traveling just over half a mile for around two minutes.
This tornado uprooted several trees, some very large and perfectly healthy, according to the survey. The 110 mph winds knocked trees and wires across roads, including Berkshire Valley Road and Little Lane, and even snapped a softwood tree at its base.
3. Pine Brook (Montville) Twister
The third tornado hit a Montville neighborhood at 2:50 p.m., another EF-1 with peak winds coming in at 80 to 90 mph.
This tornado was the weakest in the north, as it was 70 yards wide, traveled .2 miles, and lasted roughly one minute.
This tornado uprooted several trees in residents' backyards in its short lifespan, and even snapped the base of a power pole on Hook Mountain Road. It eventually dissipated just before hitting the Passaic River, but not before taking the shingles off of a house.
4. Cape May Point Twister
The fourth, final, and weakest tornado of the day began as a waterspout was spotted off the coast of Cape May Point around 6:13 p.m. It came towards the coast, becoming a tornado. ABC Action News acquired footage of the spout before it became a tornado.
The NWS conducted a virtual survey of the Cape May Point twister and determined that its winds peaked between 60 and 70 mph, an EF-0.
“A narrow path of tree damage was noted along Lincoln Avenue, Yale Avenue, and near the intersection of Oxford Avenue and West Lake Drive,” the survey reads. “At least one witness saw the funnel cloud proceed into Lake Lily.”
Cape May Point’s twister traveled .3 miles and had a maximum width of 30 yards, experts say. Once the spout jumped to land, becoming a tornado, it lasted about a minute before dissipating.
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No injuries were reported in any of the weather events, according to the NWS's surveys.
According to state weather officials, tornadoes in New Jersey are usually relatively weak and short-lived. Experts say the Garden State experiences about two tornadoes per year.
With four tornadoes under our belt in just a few hours, and a string of intense weather preceding them, it's hard to say what to expect for the rest of the season.
Tornado season in New Jersey is generally March through October, though tornadoes can occur at any time of the year. Over 80 percent of all tornadoes strike between noon and midnight, experts say.
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