BERKELEY HEIGHTS — Tornadoes, like that one that struck here July 1, are rare but not uncommon in New Jersey, according to meteorologist Sean Rowland of WeatherWorks in Hackettstown.

There are about two tornadoes per year in the Garden State, though “sometimes it's a little bit more,” he said. “It's not uncommon for us to get tornadoes through the year, so it's rare, but not uncommon.”

A top wind speed of 85 mph was estimated for the tornado that first touched down in Berkeley Heights at 9:17 a.m., then went to New Providence and ended in Summit at 9:25 a.m.

According to Rowland, the tornado traveled a path 4.8 miles long and was 50 yards wide at its estimated maximum.

There may be a perception among New Jersey residents that tornadoes, or at least tornado warnings, have become more numerous, but that's not the case, Rowland said.

“If you take a look at the stats from the last few years, they haven't gone up in terms of numbers of tornadoes,” he said.

Technology and the ease of sharing information may contribute to that perception.



"I think the warning systems are improved. They are certainly better than five years ago and they're better than 10 years ago," Rowland said. "But, I'm not sure necessarily there are more warnings."

Before the tornado was officially categorized as a tornado, a pair of National Weather Service meteorologists were on Snyder Avenue in Berkeley Heights to assess damage to help make the final determination. One of the things they look for is the direction trees have fallen.

“If all of the trees or all of the damage is in one direction, that usually indicates straight-line wind damage, and then if the tree damage is in varying directions, that's a lot more indicative of a tornado,” Rowland said.

Meteorologist can also estimate the wind speed by the type of damage that has occurred. Videos are also an important tool.

“Now with social media, they also will take a look at any video that comes in, whether it's Facebook or YouTube, and see if there was a funnel cloud that somebody might have captured — not that that's encouraged, but they'll take a look at any of that,” Rowland said.

In the event of a tornado warning, he said, it's best to go to the basement or an interior room if there is no basement.

“Make sure you're inside and away from windows,” Rowland said.

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