Tuesday storm was a Tornado but only in Normandy Beach
The monster storm that knocked out power for thousands across Monmouth and Ocean Counties as well as sending trees and power lines to the ground was mostly because of straight line winds but the Normandy Beach section of Brick Township saw a Tornado.
The National Weather Service has completed their investigation and released preliminary findings of a Tornado event that occurred in this Ocean County community along Route 35.
It was around 3:05 pm NWS said that maximum winds of 70-mph spanned a width of 20-yards for 0.4 miles in Normandy Beach.
"A waterspout formed over Barnegat Bay between Silver Bay and Kettle Creek, then moved ashore at the Normandy Beach Yacht Club. Several boats and associated trailers were tossed and flipped, 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. The tornado then became a waterspout as it emerged over the coastal waters, causing little or no additional damage."
NWS said they used the Enhanced Fujita Scale which classifies tornadoes into 5 categories.
EF0...Weak......65 to 85 mph winds.
EF1...Weak......86 to 110 mph winds.
EF2...Strong....111 to 135 mph winds.
EF3...Strong....136 to 165 mph winds.
EF4...Violent...166 to 200 mph winds.
EF5...Violent...>200 mph winds.
Elsewhere across the Jersey Shore on Tuesday, the winds were strong enough to damage several houses including 10 in Toms River that are no longer safe to live in, Toms River Fire Board Administrator Brian Kubiel told WOBM News.
Most of the damage in Ocean and Monmouth counties was caused by straight-line winds, NWS said, which are associated with the cold front that moved through the area.
Previous reporting by Dan Alexander was used in this report.
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