Tornado touched down in New Jersey, National Weather Service says
NEW JERSEY (FOX 5 NY) - A survey team with the National Weather Service determined Wednesday that a twister touched down in Stanhope and Hopatcong, New Jersey, the night before.
The team had yet to determine specifics about its strength and path but categorized it as an EF1 tornado, which means wind speeds of 86 mph to 110 mph.
A massive cleanup was underway in parts of northern New Jersey following a destructive night of storms which brought widespread power outages and downed trees.
Lenape Valley Regional High in Stanhope was closed on Wednesday. The twister was believed to have struck the Sussex County school during the storm.
Between 50 and 100 people were inside the school for a track team banquet as the storm hit. They were evacuated as the school sustained damage. Police say two people suffered minor injuries when a tree fell on a car outside of the school.
A confirmed EF2 tornado was reported in Berks County, Pennsylvania, from the same storm system.
Tornado Watches across western New Jersey Tuesday evening turned into Tornado Warnings across central and northern New Jersey in the late evening. Even Staten Island in New York City had a rare Tornado Warning posted.
The harsh weather brought major delays to Newark Airport. According to NJ.com, delays reached nearly three hours.
In Roxbury, New Jersey trees pierced through the roofs of homes, the tops of cars were littered with branches and boats along the waterline were destroyed.
More storms were possible on Wednesday after multiple waves of lower pressure moved along a nearby frontal boundary. The National Weather Service warned that there could be a potential for heavy rain, flash flooding and severe thunderstorms capable of damaging winds and large hail. A cold front was expected to pass Thursday night, bringing a break from the storms.
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