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A waterspout over the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo courtesy of Michaela Murray/Jersey Shore Hurricane News)
A tornado caused damage on a New Jersey barrier island during Tuesday afternoon’s severe thunderstorms, the National Weather Service confirmed Thursday.
Meteorologists conducted an on-site survey and determined that a waterspout formed over the Barnegat Bay between Silver Bay and Kettle Creek in Ocean County before moving ashore at the Normandy Beach Yacht Club in the Normandy Beach section of Toms River.
That’s when it became a weak tornado, moving across the barrier island at a width of 20 yards for less than a half-mile before once again becoming a waterspout upon entering the ocean.
“Several boats and associated trailers were tossed and flipped (at the Normandy Beach Yacht Club), with minor damage being reported to at least one home on South Court. This weak tornado may have lifted as it proceeded east across Route 35, and approached the coast just north of Normandy Shores Beach Club,” a National Weather Service statement said.
On Jersey Shore Hurricane News, Michaela Murray reported that the tornado “took the heavy wooden bench at the top of the 2nd Avenue walkway, fences, siding, and deck furniture. Loud!”
The tornado was classified as an “EF0,” the weakest on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, containing winds of 70 mph.
There were no injuries. On Wednesday, the National Weather Service determined that straight-line winds caused damage in the East Dover section of Toms River during the same severe storm event.