Possible Tornado in Monmounty County Near Freehold Last Night...

Last night I observed on Doppler radar what is known as a "velocity couplet" at about 10:05 p.m. which is indicative of rotation from either a rotating mesocyclone or a tornado.  Someone I know who lived in Freehold, NJ described what was a possible tornado last night in Monmouth County, NJ. There were several storm damage reports including a 63 mph gust of wind at the Mercer County Airport. The strongest wind measured last night occurred at the Atlantic City Airport, 69 mph.   Other reports from the NWS office in Mt. Holly are below.

0852 PM     HAIL             TITUSVILLE        40.31N  74.88W
07/28/2012  E1.00 INCH       MERCER             NJ   PUBLIC
0911 PM     TSTM WND GST     TRENTON AIRPORT   40.28N  74.81W
07/28/2012  M63 MPH          MERCER             NJ   ASOS
     63 MPH THUNDERSTORM WIND GUST AT TRENTON AIRPORT.
0920 PM     HAIL             PRINCETON         40.35N  74.66W
07/28/2012  E0.75 INCH       MERCER             NJ   PUBLIC
0922 PM     HAIL             LAWRENCE TWP      40.29N  74.73W
07/28/2012  E0.75 INCH       MERCER             NJ   PUBLIC
0923 PM     MARINE TSTM WIND DEWEY BEACH       38.70N  75.08W
07/28/2012  M43 MPH          SUSSEX             DE   WEATHER FLOW
0926 PM     HAIL             PENNINGTON        40.33N  74.79W
07/28/2012  E1.00 INCH       MERCER             NJ   PUBLIC
0927 PM     HAIL             PRINCETON JUNCTION 40.32N  74.62W
07/28/2012  E0.88 INCH       MERCER             NJ   PUBLIC
0929 PM     HAIL             PRINCETON JUNCTION 40.32N  74.62W
07/28/2012  E0.88 INCH       MERCER             NJ   PUBLIC
0929 PM     HAIL             LAWRENCE TWP     40.29N  74.73W
07/28/2012  E0.75 INCH       MERCER             NJ   PUBLIC
0933 PM     TSTM WND DMG     HIGHTSTOWN        40.27N  74.53W
07/28/2012                   MERCER             NJ   PUBLIC
            LARGE BRANCHES BROKEN
0933 PM     TSTM WND DMG     HIGHTSTOWN        40.27N  74.53W
07/28/2012                   MERCER             NJ   PUBLIC
            LARGE BRANCHES BROKEN
0936 PM     HAIL             PRINCETON JUNCTION 40.32N  74.62W
07/28/2012  E1.00 INCH       MERCER             NJ   PUBLIC
0938 PM     TSTM WND DMG     HIGHTSTOWN        40.27N  74.53W
07/28/2012                   MERCER             NJ   PUBLIC
            TREES DOWN
0953 PM     HAIL             PRINCETON JUNCTION 40.32N  74.62W
07/28/2012  E0.88 INCH       MERCER             NJ   PUBLIC
            TIME EST..MAY HAVE OCCURRED BETWEEN 930-938P.
1000 PM     TSTM WND DMG     EAST FREEHOLD     40.27N  74.24W
07/28/2012                   MONMOUTH           NJ   TRAINED SPOTTER
            MULTIPLE LARGE TREES DOWN
1010 PM     HAIL             MARLBORO         40.32N  74.25W
07/28/2012  E0.50 INCH       MONMOUTH           NJ   PUBLIC
1010 PM     MARINE TSTM WIND BUOY 44009       38.46N  74.70W
07/28/2012  M40 MPH          ANZ470             NJ   NDBC BUOY
1011 PM     HAIL             VINCENTOWN       39.93N  74.75W
07/28/2012  E0.75 INCH       BURLINGTON         NJ   PUBLIC
1012 PM     TSTM WND DMG     EWING TWP        40.26N  74.80W
07/28/2012                   MERCER             NJ   TRAINED SPOTTER
            TREE DOWN I-95SB EXIT2
1015 PM     HAIL             MARLBORO          40.32N  74.25W
07/28/2012  E0.75 INCH       MONMOUTH           NJ   PUBLIC
1019 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 W FREEHOLD     40.26N  74.36W
07/28/2012                   MONMOUTH           NJ   PUBLIC
            TREES DOWN
1019 PM     TSTM WND DMG     FREEHOLD        40.26N  74.28W
07/28/2012                   MONMOUTH           NJ   PUBLIC
            TREES DOWN
1020 PM     TSTM WND DMG     LAWRENCE        40.27N  74.68W
07/28/2012                   MERCER             NJ   TRAINED SPOTTER
            TREE DOWN RT206ATPRINCETON PIKE
1023 PM     TSTM WND DMG     FREEHOLD        40.26N  74.28W
07/28/2012                   MONMOUTH           NJ   PUBLIC
            LARGE BRANCHES BROKEN
1025 PM     LIGHTNING        NORTH WILDWOOD  39.00N  74.80W
07/28/2012                   CAPE MAY           NJ   TRAINED SPOTTER
            HOUSE FIRE AT 117TH AND W 25TH STREET.
1031 PM     TSTM WND DMG     FREEHOLD       40.26N  74.28W
07/28/2012                   MONMOUTH           NJ   TRAINED SPOTTER
            TREE ON TOP OF CAR
1040 PM     HAIL             EATONTOWN     40.29N  74.06W
07/28/2012  E1.00 INCH       MONMOUTH           NJ   PUBLIC
            TIME EST
1044 PM     TSTM WND DMG     LONG BRANCH   40.30N  73.99W
07/28/2012                   MONMOUTH           NJ   PUBLIC
            LARGE BRANCHES BROKEN
1044 PM     TSTM WND DMG     FREEHOLD     40.26N  74.28W
07/28/2012                   MONMOUTH           NJ   TRAINED SPOTTER
   RT35ANDWYOFF RD. GAS STN PARTIAL ROOF COLLAPSE ON AUTO

This report came from the Asbury Park Press this morning:

FREEHOLD BOROUGH — Numerous Freehold roads are shut down and residents are without power after the borough suffered extensive damage from a storm packing high winds overnight. Mayor Nolan Higgins said he issued a state of emergency, in part to allow expected cleanup and overtime costs to be covered in the municipal budget. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries. The storm hit shortly after 11 p.m. “It looks like 90 per cent of the town is without power and there’s a tremendous amout of tree damage,’’ Higgins said. “We’re still assessing things. JCP&L is bringing in extra crews and trucks to help.’’ Residents said they’ve rarely seen this extent of weather damage in the county seat. “I survived Irene (tropical storm last year) and I’ll tell you it’s pretty darned close,’’ said Steve August, who runs a plumbing business on Center Street. On Broadway, near Freehold High School, the road is blocked by numerous fallen trees, including one that crushed a car in the middle of the road. Residents said the driver escaped without being injured.

Photos of storm damage from last night, from the Asbury Park Press:

George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist for Wright Weather Consulting, LLC. George is also a meteorologist with ABC News and Cablevision News 12. Our website is WrightWeather.com.