Two tornadoes are confirmed in New Jersey

Two tornadoes touched down in Gloucester and Burlington Counties Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, but no injuries or deaths were reported and damage to property was minimal.

In the Brown Mills section of Pemberton Township, Burlington County, the weather service estimated the tornado lasted for about four minutes, ending at about 3:12 p.m.

Meteorologists found peak winds reached 90 mph, placing the Pemberton tornado as an EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, a weaker classification. According to the weather service’s preliminary survey, damage spanned 100 yards and a length of 0.31 miles. There was considerable tree damage and one shed shifted several feet, said Sarah Johnson, a weather service meteorologist based out of Mount Holly.

Johnson said it’s common for the region to have short-lived tornados.

“In terms of the rating and in terms of the length, I would say it’s typical of the tornadoes that we see around here,” said Johnson.

According to the weather service, Thursday’s tornadoes bring New Jersey’s total to 13 for the year. The highest number for a year on record since 1950 was 18, in 1989.

Craig Augustoni, Pemberton Township’s fire chief and emergency management coordinator, said some fences and a property’s siding were damaged in the storm.

“But nothing that prevented anybody from going back into their home,” he said.

The weather service found East Greenwich Township’s tornado, also an EF-1, lasted two minutes, ending at about 2:10 p.m. with peak winds of 95 mph. The tornado traveled 0.66 of a mile and its damage there spanned 70 yards. The township’s office of emergency management said utility services were not interrupted as a result and homes experienced minor damage.

Both tornadoes were strong enough to snap some trees at the trunk, said Johnson.

The Philadelphia region was hit with heavy rain early Thursday afternoon. The showers, however, cleared by dinnertime, just as the city’s annual Dîner en Blanc was set to begin.