By Stephen Appezzato
It wasn’t an April Fool’s joke when golf ball-sized chunks of hail shattered windows and strong winds uprooted trees, felled power lines and tore off roofs as a series of thunderstorms and tornadoes struck the greater New Jersey area on the evening of April 1. Monmouth County residents in particular felt the unique weather event.
Amid torrential downpours and powerful gusts, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings across New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Following an investigation over the proceeding days, the NWS’s Mount Holly office confirmed a chain of tornadoes Saturday evening within the New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware region. At the time of publication, six tornadoes were identified in the Garden State, with two touching down in Monmouth County. Currently, the NWS is investigating a seventh twister that may have also occurred in the state that evening.
According to the agency, an EF-2 scale tornado touched down near Patterson Road in Jackson Township at 7:24 p.m. Soon after, another EF-2 category tornado manifested along Palamino Drive, also in Jackson, moving into Howell at 7:33 p.m. It is estimated that the tornadoes had peak wind speeds of 130 mph and 120 mph, respectively.
To categorize tornadoes, the NWS uses the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale), which determines the severity of tornadoes based on their estimated wind speeds and related damage. EF-2 rated tornadoes must demonstrate a three-second wind gust between 111-135 mph. Tornadoes of this caliber have the strength to tear off entire roofs, remove exterior doors and destroy exterior structures.
No fatalities were reported in New Jersey as a result of the weather events. Though, an associated tornado in Bridgeville, Delaware that night resulted in one death – the second recorded tornado death in the state’s history. The valuation of damages caused that night has yet to be determined.
David Robinson, Ph.D., a New Jersey State climatologist and distinguished professor at Rutgers University, described the tornadoes as “unusual in quantity and the time of year they occurred,” in an email to The Two River Times.
“Given that twisters are rare in New Jersey, there is far too small a sample of such events to come to any conclusion regarding a possible trend in their numbers. The state climate office’s tornado web page illustrates the low numbers and lack of trend,” he continued, addressing the possibility of a larger-scale trend in twisters in New Jersey.
When asked about the relationship between climate change and twisters in New Jersey, Robinson explained that a warming atmosphere and ocean in the Mid-Atlantic region could ultimately lead to longer more severe weather seasons, though there remains much uncertainty if this would occur as the higher latitudes are warming faster than the middle latitudes. As such storms feed off temperature contrasts, “this may potentially reduce the chance of such storms,” he stated.
“To sum up, this outbreak in N.J. and adjacent states was unusual in the number of tornadoes generated for this time of year, is not indicative of a trend in activity, and does not necessarily suggest what the future holds for our region,” Robinson concluded.
Over the course of the weather event, many in Monmouth County lost power. Since the storm, Jersey Central Power & Light line workers and statewide first responders have worked to restore most of the region’s electricity and clear debris.
The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the county’s Office of Emergency Management, commended first responders and line workers for their efforts this week.
“Thanks to all for the hard work to ensure the safety of residents and the community,” the sheriff’s office’s posts on social media read.
“The severe weather we experienced on Saturday night fortunately did not affect a large portion of Monmouth County. However, it’s vital to always have a plan, be aware and know what to do in the event of a weather-related emergency, especially with hurricane season upon us,” urged Sheriff Shaun Golden in a statement to The Two River Times.
“First responders, public works crews, OEM, line workers and JCP&L did a great job in their quick response. We commend all for helping to ensure the safety of residents and communities hit hard by the storm,” Golden added.
For the latest emergency and weather-related information in Monmouth County, residents can download the sheriff’s office’s app at mcsonj.org/app. To stay up to date on the NWS’ findings from April 1, visit twitter. com/NWS_MountHolly.
The article originally appeared in the April 6 – 12, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
