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Strathmere and Delaware tornadoes had 100 mph winds, weather service says

The weather service still is investigating confirmed tornadoes in Bucks County and on Long Beach Island.

Trees fell on a home on Shady Grove Circle in Doylestown on Tuesday. The weather service has confirmed a tornado in Bucks County but has not yet completed its investigation.
Trees fell on a home on Shady Grove Circle in Doylestown on Tuesday. The weather service has confirmed a tornado in Bucks County but has not yet completed its investigation.Read moreMONICA HERNDON / Staff Photographer

The tornado that tore through parts of Kent and New Castle Counties generated 109 mph winds, the National Weather Service said Thursday. And, winds in the tornadic waterspout at the Jersey Shore that traveled from near Strathmere to Marmora had peak winds of 100 mph.

On the mainland the winds in the twister that touched down in Worcester Township, Montgomery County, topped out at 80 mph, said Dean Iovino, a lead forecaster at the weather service office in Mount Holly.

It was rated an EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita scale; the two others were EF1s.

Iovino said that investigations weren’t yet complete on the Isaias-spawned tornadoes in Bucks County and on Long Beach Island.

The waterspout, a swirling column of water mist and air, and the Delaware twister caused extensive damage to businesses, homes, and trees along Route 9, the agency said.

The EF0 formed near Brindle Court and Township Line Road and eventually took down several hardwood trees, one of them bringing down utility lines.