Videos show the 2 tornadoes that hit South Jersey during severe thunderstorms

Videos obtained by Action News show the tornadoes hitting Browns Mills and East Greenwich Township on Thursday.

Saturday, August 12, 2023
2 tornadoes confirmed in New Jersey after Thursday's storm
The National Weather Service says two tornadoes hit New Jersey during severe storms on Thursday afternoon.

BROWNS MILLS, New Jersey (WPVI) -- The National Weather Service says two tornadoes hit New Jersey during severe storms on Thursday afternoon.

One of the twisters touched down near the intersection of Ridge Road, Whites Bogs Road, and Range Road in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township in Burlington County.

It was rated an EF-1 with estimated peak wind speeds of 90 mph. It was on the ground from 3:08 p.m. until 3:12 p.m. for about three-tenths of a mile and was 100 yards wide.

The other was in the area of Tomlin Drive and Hazel Court in East Greenwich Township in Gloucester County.

It was rated an EF-1 tornado with estimated peak wind speeds of 95 mph. It was on the ground from 2:08 p.m. until 2:10 p.m. for about six-tenths of a mile and was 70 yards wide.

This brings the total number of tornadoes in New Jersey in 2023 to 13, the National Weather Service said.

The record is 18 in 1989, and the records go back to 1950.

Pam Lee's Ring camera video captured video the Browns Mills tornado. The twister demolished her shed where she kept her beloved bunnies.

"I was literally screaming, 'Oh my, God they're dead, they're dead," she said. "And then I found them - they were hidden."

That tornado reportedly caused extensive tree damage, with snapped and uprooted trees near Margaret Street.

"It actually takes more wind to snap a tree on the trunk than it does to uproot a tree, so that was the determining factor for both areas - that we did see a couple trees that were snapped," said meteorologist Sarah Johnson of the National Weather Service.

An hour before, the winds from the East Greenwich Township tornado swirled a backyard gazebo around and tore down a pool's fence.

Neighbors say they heard the wind but didn't think it was a tornado.

"It just sounded like a lot of wind," said East Greenwich Twp. resident Andrew Cannon. "I work in the basement and didn't think anything of it, and when I walked upstairs there was some stuff in the pool and some siding fell down - other than it wasn't anything crazy."

Residents in the area say they're happy there wasn't extensive damage or loss of life.