Tornado in Burlington County is New Jersey’s third in July 2021
SPRINGFIELD (Burlington) — Officials have confirmed that the wild storms that raked through New Jersey on Saturday did include a tornado in northwestern Burlington County.
It's the third tornado in New Jersey within just over a week, according to the National Weather Service Mount Holly office, following two tornadoes in Cape May County and Ocean County earlier this month.
The EF-1 tornado developed around 10:30 p.m., with maximum winds of 80 to 90 miles per hour, starting in Springfield Township near the Burlington County Fairgrounds (in the Columbus section of Mansfield Township).
A number of large tree limbs were tossed and one tree was uprooted and snapped, and within ten minutes and 7.9 miles, it had dissipated around the Jacobstown section of North Hanover Township, officials said on Sunday.
There were no injuries reported amid the severe weather.
On July 9, a pair of tornadoes were confirmed in Woodbine and Little Egg Harbor Township, as Tropical Storm Elsa passed through the state.
How common have they become?
On average, New Jersey sees two tornadoes a year, according to New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow.
"The last time NJ had three tornadoes in a single calendar month was August 2020. It also occurred in August 2019. So it's unusual, but not unheard of," Zarrow said.
There had been a total of four tornado warnings during Saturday's storms, he continued — one each in Middlesex and Hunterdon Counties and two warnings in the Burlington-Ocean-Monmouth area.
The tornado in Burlington County was the only to be confirmed as of Sunday evening.
Is this it?
As for whether the state could still have more in store this year, Zarrow says it wouldn't be the first time.
New Jersey had four confirmed tornadoes in 2020 and nine in 2019 — a "very active year," he added.
Among reports of the Saturday storm damage, 6 ABC Philly visited Burlington County, as seen below.