Rare November tornadoes damage homes in New Jersey and Delaware

New Jersey tornado

An EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of 100 mph damaged homes, toppled trees and brought down power lines in Burlington County, New Jersey, on Friday, November 13, 2026, with no injuries reported, according to 6abc.com. The tornado's path was about 1.5 miles long.

The tornado partially tore the roof from Raymond Russell's home along Old York Road in Chesterfield. "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 his father was fortunate despite the damage.

At least part of Russell's roof landed in a neighbor's yard. "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," neighbor Cindy Monterroso said.

Viewer video showed powerful winds and hail during the storm. "In between 4 and 4:15 was when it was the worst. Pitch black, so loud. The hail was coming down," Chesterfield resident Tara McCreedy said. She took shelter in her basement with her family.

The National Weather Service surveyed the area the following morning and determined an EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of 100 mph caused some of the damage. Sarah Johnson, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the area experienced both straight-line wind and tornado damage. "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. That was determined to be tornado damage."

Johnson said it was New Jersey's sixth tornado of the year. The November timing was unusual because tornadoes are typically seen in the spring and summer.

Down the road, a barn with equipment inside collapsed, and multiple homes on Orchard Drive were damaged. PSEG crews worked throughout the day to repair damaged poles and power lines.

Delaware tornado

A rare November tornado toppled a huge hotel sign onto cars and uprooted trees in Newark, Delaware, as storms hit New Castle County on Thursday, according to weather.com. The storms also damaged Christiana Hospital.

A separate tornado warning was issued for parts of New Castle County, Delaware, including Wilmington, Newark, Stanton and Newport. Several videos shared on social media appeared to show a funnel cloud near Wilmington, and a tornado was later confirmed.

There were reports of damage around Christiana Hospital in Wilmington consistent with a probable tornado. One sighting indicated a helicopter had lost its rotor.

Airport disruptions

John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport were under a tornado warning Thursday afternoon after a storm with radar-indicated rotation moved toward Queens, New York. The National Weather Service issued the warning at 1:14 p.m. ET for Queens, saying a storm near Rockaway Beach was moving northeast at about 15 mph toward JFK Airport. The warning was in effect until 2 p.m. ET.

Both JFK and LaGuardia had ground stops in place as thunderstorms and hail moved through the area, potentially disrupting travel for thousands of passengers. The storms unleashed heavy rain and flash flooding around the airport, forcing parts of the JFK Expressway to close and traffic to be diverted. At least one nearby vehicle was reportedly stuck in floodwaters.

Why it matters

The November tornadoes were unusual for the region, as tornadoes are typically seen in the spring and summer. The storms also brought flash flooding, hail and airport ground stops across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Sources

• 6abc.com: EF-1 tornado with 100 mph winds damages homes in Burlington County, New Jersey - 6abc Philadelphia
• weather.com: Tornadoes and flash flooding hit New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.