Heavy rains were falling Tuesday across New Jersey as Tropical Storm Isaias roared to the north, leaving behind power outages and reports of tornadoes.
A state of emergency remained in effect and Gov. Phil Murphy said during a briefing the western part of the state would likely get the most rain while the strongest winds would hit the shore.
A trained spotter saw an apparent tornado in the Cape May County community of Strathmere, the National Weather Service Said. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or damage, although some trees were reportedly knocked down.
One video showed trees down from the tornado on the garden State Parkway near Exit 23.
The state’s utilities were reporting 28,905 homes and businesses were without electricity. Crews were staging to restore service once the worst of the weather had passed.
At least 5,000 in Lakewood were without power, and around 10,000 in Ocean County were in the dark.
Weather forecasters were predicting 45 to 55 mph winds with gusts to 70 mph.
Motorists were told to stay off the roads unless “absolutely necessary.” The New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway banned car-pulled trailers and motorcycles.
All state offices were closed and nonessential state government workers were told to stay home.
Murphy said he was hoping the day would mostly be a “washout.”
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Storm damage in Marmora, New Jersey after tornado warning issued in the area this morning. #6abcaction #Isaias @6abc #njwx pic.twitter.com/rtILtTxTxC
— Brandon Longo (@brandonlongo) August 4, 2020
#BREAKING: National Weather Service confirms #tornado touches down in Ocean City, #NewJersey. (Courtesy: Maddie Fisher) #Isaias
More Information – https://t.co/J2GzpodpGX pic.twitter.com/0S4VNGSOI6
— News 12 New York (@News12) August 4, 2020
BREAKING: #Tornado can be witnessed in Cape May, #NewJersey #Capemay #Isaias pic.twitter.com/VVbBZal1va
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) August 4, 2020
(AP)
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