5 things to know about tornadoes in New Jersey

Russ Zimmer | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Tornadoes: Violent winds In any given year, about 1,200 tornadoes will touch down in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Tornadoes are among the most deadly storms because they can form with little warning and pack winds in excess of 300 mph.

The Shore got a rare twin taste of one of the most violent meteorological phenomenon when two tornadoes touched down in Howell near daybreak on Saturday.

Just how rare though?

Between 1951 and 2013, 144 tornadoes touched down in New Jersey and only six of those were recorded in Monmouth County, according to data maintained by the Office of the NJ State Climatologist at Rutgers.

New Jersey gets about two or three tornadoes in any given year, but it's far less often in the Shore counties of Monmouth (6 since 1950) and Ocean (11). See how that compares to the rest of the nation in the video above.

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Here's what we know about tornadoes in the Garden State, thanks to the state climatologist's data:

1. We've never been struck by a truly powerful tornado

Going solely by the enhanced Fujita scale, New Jersey has never experienced a tornado of the strength that killed 24 people outside of Oklahoma City in 2013.

EF5 tornadoes, the strongest, can hurl cars like missiles and produce wind speeds of more than 300 mph.

The 2013 EF5 tornado in Oklahoma City was the most recently documented one of that strength, and there has been 59 total in America since 1950.

There have been a handful of EF3 tornadoes in New Jersey, which pack wind speeds from 136 to 165 mph — capable of lifting cars off the ground.

The most destructive of those was a tornado that tore through Flanders in Morris County on Memorial Day 1973. Twelve homes were destroyed and a dozen people were injured.

Saturday's pair in Howell were EF0, the weakest variety.

2. Only 1 person has died from a tornado since 1950

Since record keeping began in 1950, 77 people have been hurt by a tornado but only one New Jerseyan has been killed.

It was 2:39 p.m. on October 27, 2003, when an EF0 tornado started a ½-mile path of destruction near Hainesport, where it "carried a large tree branch 100 feet before it struck and killed a 77-year-old Lumberton woman," according to the Burlington County Times.

3. An estimated $69 million in damages has been attributed to tornadoes

That might seem like a lot of money, but it's pennies when you consider the length of time — 60 some years — and the sweeping damage a disaster can cause.

Of course, the damage estimates maintained by the state climatologist haven't been adjusted for inflation, which can bring $25,000 worth of damages in 1950 up to $260,000 in today's dollars.

About $1.1 billion in property is destroyed by tornadoes on average annually in the U.S., according to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.

4. Afternoons are the most common times for tornadoes in NJ

Saturday's tornadoes in Howell — you can see raw video of one below — were remarkable for a number of reasons, including their timing.

Only nine twisters since 1950 have occurred earlier in the day in New Jersey.

Two out of three tornadoes in the state data happened between noon and 6 p.m., traditionally the hottest part of the day.

RAW VIDEO: Tornado touches down in Howell The National Weather Service has determined that a tornado touched down in Howell during a severe thunderstorm on June 24. (Courtesy of Brett Dzadik)

5. The typical tornado forms and dissipates within one mile

On March 10, 1964, a tornado formed in Woodbury, about 5 miles south of Camden, and churned its way northeast all the way to Farmingdale.

That's 59 miles. That's also not representative of a New Jersey tornado.

Three in five tornadoes since 1950 broke apart within 1 mile of touch down.

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Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748; razimmer@app.com