Thunderstorm Wind — Atlantic, New Jersey

2020-06-03 · near Absecon, Atlantic, New Jersey

Event narrative

Downed tree on U.S. Highway 9 southbound at Ohio Avenue in Absecon. Time estimated from radar.

Wider weather episode

A derecho developed just southeast of Lake Erie during the early morning hours of June 3, 2020, then moved rapidly southeast across Pennsylvania before exiting the central New Jersey coast during the early afternoon hours, approximately 130 PM. Damaging winds in excess of 60 MPH were sporadic over western and central Pennsylvania, but as the thunderstorm complex moved into increasingly unstable air in the eastern part of the state just before noon, wind damage reports became more numerous and widespread. Most of these reports were confined within a 50-mile wide swath extending from Berks County eastward to the Philadelphia metro area, then further east to the Ocean County shoreline in New Jersey. Wind gust reports between 60 and 70 MPH were common within this swath, with some of the highest gusts as follows: 89 MPH in Beach Haven, 87 MPH in Brick (both in Ocean County), 76 MPH in Brielle (Monmouth County), and 67 MPH in Jacksonville (Burlington County). In addition to these destructive wind gusts, frequent to continuous cloud to ground lightning and heavy downpours were also reported throughout the area.

Over 112,000 power outages were reported in southern New Jersey as a result

of fallen trees on power lines. Some localities were without power for several days.

Because this derecho moved off the coast by 200 PM, the warm afternoon sun was able to sufficiently destabilize the atmosphere for the formation of another round of severe thunderstorms over some of the same areas that experience them earlier in the day. Reported wind gusts associated with these thunderstorms generally ranged between 45 and 65 MPH, with a 65 MPH wind gust measured at the Philadelphia International Airport. The remaining thunderstorms then moved offshore by 1000 PM, which brought an end to the day's severe weather.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.4300, -74.5100)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 886604. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.