Severe thunderstorms bring tornado warnings, surveys in NJ

Severe thunderstorms swept across the Northeast on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, spawning multiple tornado warnings and causing widespread disruptions from New Jersey to New York. The National Weather Service confirmed surveying damage from two possible tornadoes in northern New Jersey as the storm system brought damaging winds, flash flooding, and urgent safety alerts to millions.

The severe weather prompted a tornado watch for more than 29 million people across parts of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut until 9 p.m. ET. In New Jersey, tornado warnings were issued for Bergen, Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties in the afternoon, with alerts urging residents in communities like Morristown, Parsippany, and Dover to take immediate shelter. Officials reported that a thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was tracked near Mendham in Morris County, moving east at 25 mph.

Witnesses described ominous conditions. In the Troy Hills area, Adam Wilson observed a thick, swirling cloud that looked almost like a tornado about to come down. In Parsippany, a possible tornado was spotted less than a mile from a golf center near Highway 46. Sabrina Petruccelli, a...