The Mount Holly, New Jersey office of the National Weather Service has just confirmed its fourth tornado for the year in the Garden State. After conducting a site survey for storm damage, the National Weather Service determined than a tornado touched down in Lincroft in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey yesterday morning.
According to the National Weather Service, the tornado was down on the ground for only about 2 minutes starting at 9:57 am and traveled for 1.21 miles. The 70-yard wide tornado had maximum wind speeds of 80 mph, making it an EF-0 tornado.
The scale that rates the intensity of tornadoes is known as the Enhanced Fujita Scale; it classifies tornadoes based on their wind speeds. EF-0 tornadoes have wind speeds 65 to 85 mph; 1 has winds 86 to 110mph; 2 has winds 111-135mph; 3 has winds 136-165mph; 4 has winds 166-200mph; 5 has winds in excess of 200mph.
The National Weather Service said that the tornado touched down on a baseball field on the campus of Brookdale Community College. There, it tossed a set of metal bleachers adjacent to the field and then crossed over Phalanx Road into a residential neighborhood. Numerous trees sustained damage on and around Hickory Lane there. The tornado continued into another residential area near Swimming River Road and Normandy Road, damaging additional trees and homes. The tornado eventually lifted as it entered the Riverdale West Park. While the tornado alone didn’t create structural damage to homes, the trees it knocked down did damage many homes.
The National Weather Service worked with the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management, the New Jersey State Police, and local officials with Middletown Township to survey the site. Through their analysis they determined the tornado wasn’t responsible for any injuries.
This tornado comes after two from Isaias that touched down just weeks ago. Another tornado touched down in New Jersey from a severe storm that struck in April.
