National Weather Service says tornado packing 90 mph winds hit Gloucester Township
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GLOUCESTER TWP. - The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado did touch down in the Blackwood section of Gloucester Township early Thursday morning.
The agency's storm survey team Thursday afternoon responded to the affected area, Deer Park Circle, where five homes reported damage to police around 5 a.m.
According to the National Weather Service, a "brief EF-1 tornado" occurred in the area with top wind speeds around 90 mph. The agency's report said the tornado had a maximum width of 60 yards and traveled just more than a quarter mile.
"The tornado touched down near Erial Road just on the other side of the Marksmen Landscaping Company," the report detailed. "The tornado traveled northeast towards the Deer Park subdivision where several large limbs were snapped off of both softwood and hardwood trees, with at least three trees uprooted."
More information on the Blackwood, NJ Tornado can be found below and attached. The tornado was rated an EF-1 with 90 MPH winds. The path length was 0.26 miles with a max width of 60 yards. Our full write-up can be found here: https://t.co/dtIdQZL2vg #NJwx pic.twitter.com/kvV8QWPJbK
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) June 9, 2022
An EF-1 tornado is the second weakest on the scale and measures 86 to 110 mph. By contrast, an EF-5, the strongest tornado, boasts winds in excess of 200 mph.
Gloucester Township Police Department said 911 calls started shortly after 5 a.m. Thursday.
Residents in Deer Park Circle were reporting varying degrees of damage to their homes, including a tree through a roof, after the tornado ripped through the region just before sunrise.
In addition to the five damaged homes, authorities said trees also were found downed on several parked cars.
No injuries were reported in the incident after emergency personnel conducted door-to-door checks of the affected area, police said.
Gloucester Township Office of Emergency Management and construction officials determined no structural damage occurred to any homes and impacted families would not be displaced, according to police.
Roads in the development have since reopened and power to the neighborhood was restored, police said.
A South Jersey native, Anthony Coppola has handled a variety of beats at The Daily Journal, Courier-Post and Burlington County Times, including award-winning work in sports and business coverage. Coppola, who joined the staff in 2008, now focuses on regional education reporting. Please consider supporting local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: National Weather Service confirms tornado in Gloucester Township
