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Chesterfield Tornado: EF-1 Twister With 100 mph Winds Strikes Burlington County, Damaging Homes and Downing Power Lines
An EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 100 mph carved a 1.5-mile path through Chesterfield, tearing roofs off homes and toppling trees, but leaving no injuries. The National Weather Service says it was New Jersey's sixth tornado of the year and an unusually late-season event.
CHESTERFIELD, N.J. â An EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of 100 mph touched down in Burlington County, damaging homes, toppling trees and bringing down power lines, the National Weather Service confirmed after surveying the area. No injuries were reported.
The tornado carved a path about 1.5 miles long through Chesterfield, striking hardest between 4 and 4:15 p.m. Friday, according to residents. The weather service said the damage was a mix of straight-line winds and a narrow tornado track centered on the Old York Road and Bordentown Chesterfield Road area.
"As was the case in Chesterfield today, we actually had a mix of both straight-line wind damage, as well as we did have a narrow path kind of in the Old York Road, Bordentown Chesterfield Road area," said Sarah Johnson, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "That was determined to be tornado damage."
One of the hardest-hit homes belonged to 84-year-old Raymond Russell, whose roof was partially torn off along Old York Road. Part of the roof landed in a neighbor's yard.
"I'm 84 years old. I've lived here almost 50 years. I don't know when it's done whether I'll stay," Russell said.
His son, Raymond Russell III, said the family was grateful the outcome was not worse. "He wasn't hurt or worse. His car never got damaged. And he's got a place to stay," he said.
Neighbor Cindy Monterroso described the moment she realized something was wrong. "We walked over there, the roof was gone. We were like, oh my God, what's going on? We had no idea what had happened," she said.
Down the road, a barn with equipment inside collapsed, and several homes on Orchard Drive were damaged. PSEG crews worked through the day to repair damaged poles and power lines.
Residents described a sudden, violent storm. "In between 4 and 4:15 was when it was the worst. Pitch black, so loud. The hail was coming down," said Tara McCreedy, who sheltered in her basement with her family. Viewer video showed powerful winds and hail during the storm.
Johnson said the tornado was New Jersey's sixth of the year. Its November timing was unusual, she noted, because tornadoes in the region are typically seen in spring and summer.
The confirmation came after weather service crews surveyed the damage the following morning. The storm was part of a broader outbreak of severe weather across the Philadelphia region, which also produced at least one other confirmed tornado.
For Chesterfield residents, the cleanup is underway, and the unusual late-season twister is a reminder that severe weather can strike outside the traditional warm-weather months.