Tornado That Hit Gloucester County Packed 150 MPH Winds

GLOUCESTER COUNTY, NJ — The tornado that struck Gloucester County Wednesday night had peak winds of about 150 mph, according to a preliminary report released by the National Weather Service.

The tornado that touched down in Gloucester County has been classified as an EF-3 tornado, which means it brings wind gusts of between 136 and 165 mph. More about the different tornado grades can be found at weather.gov.

It touched down in Harrisonville at about 6:10 p.m., and lasted about 20 minutes. In that time, it left a path of destruction that destroyed homes, but no fatalities were reported. Two people were injured.

Gov. Phil Murphy visited Mullica Hill Thursday morning, and a State of Emergency has been declared through Saturday for Gloucester County. Read more here: State Of Emergency In Gloucester County After Tornado

Much of the damage was documented on video and shared on social media. Read more here: VIDEOS: Confirmed Tornado Rips Through South Jersey

The Mullica Hill branch of the Gloucester County Library is serving as a reception center on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to Gloucester County Emergency Management. The library is located at 389 Wolfert Station Road in Mullica Hill.

Anyone who needs housing assistance should call 856-307-4816 for assistance through Rowan University.

When the tornado first hit Harrisonville, most of the damage was done to trees and limbs, according to the report. As it moved into Cedar Grove, it strengthened and started to uproot trees.

As it moved into Willow Oaks, several homes began to see damage. The exterior walls of several homes collapsed, roofs were flying off homes and one home had only a few interior walls left. Vehicles were tossed around and debris began to fly, causing damage in several areas.

It then moved up Bridgeton Pike, snapping tree trunks and destroying barns and storage buildings at a local farm. At this point, it grew to be about 400 yards wide.

The tornado’s most significant damage came when it reached Salvatore Drive, where one home was completely destroyed, with no interior or exterior walls standing. The exterior walls and garages of other homes in the area collapsed, and vehicles were tossed around.

It then reached a second farm, destroying barns and toppling two large grain silos. It then crossed Jefferson Road and crossed Eachus Road, snapping multiple trees.

The tornado moved into the Breakneck Road area, snapping nearly all the trees in the thickly wooded area.

It then moved into Mantua Township, where it destroyed most of the Delaware Valley Florist commercial greenhouse.

It then moved into Wenonah, where a structure collapsed, a few houses lost their roofs and a number of trees were uprooted. A 150-year-old house a couple had just moved into about a month ago was one of the casualties, according to nj.com.

There was less severe tree damage to the northeast along the tornado's path toward Deptford where the tornado lifted at about 6:30 p.m.