Severe Weather Strikes Mid-Atlantic
Confirmed Tornado Touches Down in Northeastern Pennsylvania
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – Thunderstorms on Saturday kicked off a four day period of unsettled and rainy weather across Central Jersey as well as much of the Mid-Atlantic. Severe Weather struck the Mid-Atlantic region to cap off the four wet days. The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for Northeastern Pennsylvania and Northwest New Jersey. A confirmed tornado touched down in Bangor, Pennsylvania located in Northampton County late Tuesday afternoon.
Greg’s Weather Center monitored weather conditions on location at Round Valley Recreational Area in Lebanon, NJ. This location was under the Severe Thunderstorm Watch that had been issued by the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma around lunch time on Tuesday. Thankfully, no severe weather developed at Round Valley. A cell did produce a couple rumbles of thunder followed by a gusty downpour. The cell became more intense as it headed further north.
Much of Severe Weather Impacts Eastern Pennsylvania
Much of the severe weather occurred in Eastern Pennsylvania. In Carbon, Lehigh, and Northampton counties, intense thunderstorms with high winds and hail along with a few tornadoes developed. A large area of Eastern Pennsyvlania and portions of Western New Jersey were under a slight risk for severe weather on Tuesday afternoon. A total of 21 storm reports of high winds were reported in the Mid-Atlantic as of Wednesday afternoon.
Sixteen of those reports were from Eastern Pennsylvania alone. A microburst with winds between 70 and 80 miles per hour developed in Orwigsburg, PA. Video on social media confirmed a twister in the southern part of Bangor, Pennsylvania. The NWS office in Mount Holly, NJ declared a tornado warning for portions of Warren and Sussex counties in New Jersey late Tuesday afternoon. A funnel cloud spun up in the Sandyston Township area of Sussex County. In addition, the storm produced quarter-sized hail. Fortunately, there was no tornado touchdown.
Isolated Storm Cells Pack a Punch for Jersey
The storms that affected most of the areas in the Garden State were from isolated cells that came up from Mercer and Southern Somerset counties. The first cell developed upon arrival to the west of Round Valley. About a half an hour later, another cells passed over GWC’s location at Round Valley and produced a gusty downpour that lasted several minutes. This cell intensified as it moved away and and headed further north.
A third storm cell developed and moved northward to the east of Round Valley. The cell ended up producing showers and storms in Hunterdon, Middlesex, and Somerset County. The cell moved over the area where I-78 and I-287 intersect in Bedminster around 5:30 PM. GWC’s home weather station received nearly a quarter of an inch of rainfall. Over the four days of unsettled weather, locations around New Jersey received anywhere from a quarter to nearly an inch and one-third of rainfall.
| Location | May 3rd | May 4th | May 5th | May 6th | Total |
| Kearny, NJ | 0.30 | 0.30 | 0.53 | 0.17 | 1.30 |
| Mendham, NJ | 0.00 | 0.54 | 0.13 | 0.51 | 1.18 |
| Watchung, NJ | 0.29 | 0.25 | 0.48 | 0.15 | 1.17 |
| Montclair, NJ | 0.00 | 0.17 | 0.19 | 0.77 | 1.13 |
| New Brunswick, NJ | 0.35 | 0.17 | 0.33 | 0.22 | 1.07 |
| North Plainfield, NJ | 0.38 | 0.20 | 0.35 | 0.09 | 1.02 |
| South Plainfield, NJ | 0.31 | 0.24 | 0.08 | 0.23 | 0.86 |
| Clark, NJ | 0.00 | 0.13 | 0.24 | 0.49 | 0.86 |
| Woodbridge, NJ | 0.19 | 0.25 | 0.36 | 0.05 | 0.85 |
| Piscataway, NJ | 0.30 | 0.18 | 0.27 | 0.06 | 0.81 |
| Warren, NJ | 0.38 | 0.14 | 0.26 | 0.03 | 0.81 |
| Bridgewater, NJ | 0.00 | 0.41 | 0.06 | 0.26 | 0.73 |
| Metuchen, NJ | 0.20 | 0.10 | 0.22 | 0.11 | 0.63 |
| South Amboy, NJ | 0.00 | 0.17 | 0.33 | 0.09 | 0.59 |
| Edison, NJ | 0.12 | 0.09 | 0.23 | 0.14 | 0.58 |
| Monroe, NJ | 0.09 | 0.00 | 0.16 | 0.23 | 0.48 |
| Perth Amboy, NJ | 0.00 | 0.10 | 0.21 | 0.06 | 0.37 |
| Sayreville, NJ | 0.00 | 0.29 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.37 |
| Flemington, NJ | 0.00 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.14 | 0.26 |
Severe Weather Returns for Thursday and Friday
Greg’s Weather Center in South Plainfield, NJ received some form of measurable rainfall for four straight days. Before Saturday, there was no measurable rain for 16 of the previous 20 days. More rain had fallen on Saturday afternoon and evening (0.31 of an inch) than over the previous 20 days (0.29 of an inch). The four day storm total was the most rain at GWC since the period of April 11-12 (1.44 inches).
Dry and pleasant conditions returned on Wednesday, but it will only provide a short respite from the stormy weather. Showers and storms are expected to return to the area on Thursday and last into Friday. Rainfall amounts look to be anywhere from an inch and a half to two inches. Currently, much of Maryland and Virginia are under a marginal risk for severe weather on Thursday. The storm threat shifts a bit southward on Friday with only Southern Virginia under a marginal risk at this time.