Tornado Passes By Ocean City Amid Tropical Storm Isaias

OCEAN CITY, NJ — A tornado passed through the Ocean City area Tuesday morning as Tropical Storm Isaias traveled up the East Coast. The storm left damage in its path as heavy rain and high winds pushed through the area.

The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado over Corbin City at 9:53 a.m. Tuesday. The agency placed Ocean City and the surrounding area under a tornado warning until 10:15 a.m.

Ocean City had the greatest observed winds in New Jersey, reaching 72 mph, according to New Jersey 101.5 meteorologist Dan Zarrow.

Witness footage shows a tornado just east of the Garden State Parkway near Ocean City at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Mayor Jay Gillian advised that everyone should stay off the roads until the storm passes through later Tuesday.

"Public Works crews are clearing downed trees and limbs, and we need to keep roads clear for emergency personnel," he said.

But he noted that Ocean City "was fortunate to have escaped most flooding and heavy rainfall."

Photos on the Ocean City, NJ Flooding Facebook group showed inundation at 14th Street and Haven Avenue. But Anne Stout, who posted the photos, said "we got lucky."

A video showed the steeple falling off of the Central Ocean City Union Chapel and 32nd Street and Central Avenue.

The storm left about 24,000 Atlantic City Electric customers without power in Cape May County, officials said. Several customers might not regain power for a couple days, according to county officials.

Customers are urged to call 800-833-7476 to report an outage or to get more information on their outage.

But it appears the storm didn't injure anyone in Cape May County, according to Freeholder Director Gerald M. Thornton.

The tornado warning from the NWS said the following Tuesday morning:

"To repeat, a tornado has been confirmed. TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris."

The NWS's warning also covered the Garden State Parkway between mile markers 22 and 31 and the Atlantic City Expressway from mile markers 11 and 22.

Here's footage from Strathmere:

Footage from Playland's Castaway Cove showed strong winds and stormy skies at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Photos showed significant damage, including poles and wires down in Marmora. The tornado pushed through the marsh crossing the Garden State Parkway, according to the Marmora Volunteer Fire Co.

The tornado ripped roofing off Axis Self Storage and toppled over 100 trees and several headstones in Seaside Cemetery. Then the storm damaged the Coca-Cola warehouse and several homes and businesses along Route 9, Marmora officials said.

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