It’s Official: NWS Confirms 3 Tornado Touchdowns Struck New Jersey During Severe Storms

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The National Weather Service (NWS) has officially confirmed that three separate tornadoes touched down across New Jersey during Tuesday’s severe weather outbreak. The twisters struck within a span of just a few hours, leaving a trail of damaged trees, downed power lines, and property destruction in both North and South Jersey.

Earlier in the day, the NWS issued tornado warnings across Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Morris, Passaic, and Somerset counties, with tornado watches stretching across most of the state through Tuesday evening.

Subsequent field and virtual storm surveys conducted by NWS meteorologists confirmed the three touchdowns.

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1. Stanhope Tornado (Morris/Sussex County)

• Time: 3:10 PM

• Location: Intersection of Interstate 80 and US Route 206, Stanhope

• Impact: A trained weather spotter reported the initial touchdown. Social media footage captured widespread debris—including mature trees, heavy branches, and live power lines—sprawled across I-80, causing traffic disruptions.

2. Montville / Pine Brook Twister (Morris County)

• Time: ~3:43 PM

• Location: Montville / Pine Brook area

• Impact: Confirmed after eyewitness video submitted to the NWS showed a visible funnel cloud touching down in the area. Official ratings on wind speeds and path damage are being finalized.

3. Cape May Point Twister (Cape May County)

• Time: 6:13 PM

• Rating: EF-0 (Peak winds: 60–70 mph)

• Impact: What began as a dramatic waterspout off the coast moved ashore at Cape May Point, officially becoming a landlocked tornado.

• Path Length & Width: Traveled 0.3 miles with a maximum width of 30 yards before dissipating into Lake Lily after roughly one minute. Tree damage was documented along Lincoln Avenue, Yale Avenue, and near Oxford Avenue and West Lake Drive.

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Understanding the EF Scale

The NWS classifies tornadoes using the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale, which measures estimated wind speeds based on damage:

• EF-0: 65 to 85 mph

• EF-1: 86 to 110 mph

• EF-2: 111 to 135 mph

• EF-3: 136 to 165 mph

• EF-4: 166 to 200 mph

• EF-5: Over 200 mph

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Are Tornadoes Becoming More Common in New Jersey?

No major injuries have been reported so far, though localized infrastructure and property damage remain significant.

Historically, New Jersey averages about two tornadoes per year, making a three-tornado event in a single afternoon unusually severe.

• NJ Tornado Season: Generally spans from March through October, though tornadoes can form year-round.

• Peak Risk Hours: Over 80% of all tornadoes strike between noon and midnight, when atmosphere heating and instability are at their highest.

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