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EF1 tornado in Ocean County, New Jersey

Tornado August 4, 2020 · Ocean County, New Jersey

EF1
Rating
3.3 mi
Path length
100 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 100 yards (0.06 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A waterspout developed in Manahawkin Bay between Ship Bottom and

Brant Beach. It tracked northwestward and video footage showed the

circulation with light debris in the air crossing the Route 72

bridge over the bay. The waterspout then continued tracking to the

northwest and passed east of Mud City before moving ashore into a

marshy area of the Manahawkin Wildlife Management area. Other

than some light debris reported in the air as it crossed the Route

72 bridge, no other damage reports have been received as of this

report. However, the circulation tracked right over the Long Beach

Island WeatherFlow weather station located north of Egg Island

and west of Flat Island in Manahawkin Bay which measured a 109 mph

wind gust at 10:53 AM EDT. This measurement was used to rate this

waterspout/tornado given the lack of actual damage. Doppler radar

data showed no evidence of a tornado debris signature. Doppler

radar data however did indicate velocities to 112 mph at about

1,600 feet above the ground very near the aforementioned weather

station.

The wider storm

Tropical Storm Isaias brought high winds, heavy rain, several tornadoes, and coastal flooding to the mid-Atlantic region, becoming the most impactful tropical cyclone to impact most of the region since Sandy in 2012.

Began near Brant Beach (39.6329, -74.1972).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

1 more tornado the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

EF1 Cape May County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 904096. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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