Multiple Tornadoes Hit New Jersey On Thursday: See Where

NEW JERSEY — Widespread tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms hit the Garden State on Thursday night, bringing tornado touchdowns to Ocean and Essex counties, as well as suspected touchdowns to Burlington and Mercer counties.

Two tornadoes have since been confirmed in Ocean County. The National Weather Service found an EF1 tornado fueled by 105 mph winds struck Barnegat, while an EF2 blew through Waretown and Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island with winds gusting up to 115 mph.

Tornadoes are measured in wind speed according to the Enhanced Fujita scale, ranging from EF0, or less than 85 mph (light damage), to F5, which constitutes winds over 200 mph (incredible damage).

The National Weather Service is still investigating the affected areas and urges people to report any damage in their neighborhoods. More information on the storms will be provided Friday night, the National Weather Service said.

[8 AM] Here are the following areas that we will be investigating today. More details will be provided tonight. If you observed damage, please let us know. #dewx #pawx #njwx pic.twitter.com/7txwCypqjS
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) July 30, 2021

A tornado that hit Mercer County caused flooding, downed trees, and power cuts in many parts of the county on Thursday night, officials said. The tornado was spotted near Mercerville-Hamilton Square near Trenton at 6:30 p.m. Read more: Tornado Hits Mercer Co. Thursday, Causes Flooding, Road Closures

According to officials, the tornado was spotted near Mercerville-Hamilton Square near Trenton at 6:30 p.m., causing flooding, downed trees, and power cuts in many parts of the county.

Further north in Essex County, an EF0 tornado left one home "severely damaged" after it briefly touched down on Thursday evening just before 6 p.m. in Verona, the National Weather Service said. Strong winds of 65 mph were recorded and several trees were knocked down.

"The tornado likely touched down inside the Montclair Golf Club as it approached the eastern end of Hathaway Lane where it knocked down a large oak tree," the agency said in a damage survey. "A tree fell on a house on Sylvan Road and was likely totaled as it was knocked off its foundation."

We can confirm an EF-0 tornado briefly touched down in Essex County, NJ yesterday evening.

Maximum winds were 65 mph and it was on the ground for less than a half mile. Several trees and large limbs were knocked down, with one home left severely damaged. #NJwx #tornado pic.twitter.com/SZ7ilLUTPt
— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) July 30, 2021

For the second time in two weeks, a tornado was spotted in Burlington County, officials said Thursday night. The tornado was sighted over Burlington County at 7:23 p.m. on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. No major damage or outages were reported.

Other damage was reported in South Jersey, where severe storms damaged more than 35 houses and multiple boats in the High Bar Harbor section of Long Beach Township.

A suspected tornado blew the roofs off multiple houses and damaged several utility poles in northern Long Beach Island, according to Long Beach Township police.

Calmer weather is expected to descend on the Garden State this weekend, bringing plenty of sun and temperatures in the low 80s on Friday and Saturday. Sunday holds a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.

This article contains reporting from additional Patch staff.

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