May 27, 2001
F2 Tornado
Manalapan, Monmouth County, NJ
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Detailed Map with Tornado Track (click for full size): |
Overview Map (click for full size): |
On Sunday, May 27, 2001 at about 7:45 pm, a severe storm produced a tornado and moved through Manalapan, which is in the northwestern part of Monmouth County, NJ. This tornado was ranked as an F2 on the Fujita Scale, with maximum wind speeds estimated at 120 mph. The damage path was approximately 1.5 miles in length and 200 feet wide. The damage path began at Arbach Lane and ended at Guest Drive, with the F2 damage occurring at Debarcy Court. Four houses were severely damaged, and about 12 others suffered minor damage. Also, between 150 to 200 trees were either uprooted or damaged. There were no reported injuries or deaths as a result of the tornado.
A ground and aerial survey were conducted by the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, NJ and the Monmouth County Emergency Manager on the morning of Monday May 28, 2001. The following pictures were taken during the survey. Click on any picture to enlarge.
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-This is one of 4 houses on Debarcy Court. The tornado track went from the rear of the house to the front. What is interesting about these photos is that shingles were blown off of the roof and mud was flung onto the front of the house, which is on the leeward side (side opposite the path of the tornado). This indicates that the winds were blowing in the opposite direction of the storm motion, which in this case is a sign of tornadic damage.
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-This is the back of the house described above. This is the windward side of the house (in the direct path of the tornado), and it suffered major damage to the roof and a sunroom. Windows were also broken.
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-This is the front of another house on Debarcy Court. The house suffered major roof damage. Projectiles (flying pieces of wood in this case) were tossed into the garage doors. A shingle even got stuck in one of the garage door handles.
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-Yet another house on Debarcy Court with major damage to roof. Tornado tracked from the front to the rear of this house.
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-This minivan was parked on the street in front of the house shown above. The powerful winds of the tornado actually rolled the minivan over onto the lawn. The glass on the ground in the picture on the far left shows where the car hit its side during the rollover.
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-This is the back of the house pictured above (with the minivan on the front lawn). The back wall is on the leeward side (side opposite the path of the tornado) and has debris and mud thrown against it. Trees in the backyard fell in different directions, another sign of tornadic damage.
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-This is an excellent example of why mobile homes are not a safe place to be during a tornado. This construction trailer was lifted and thrown across Hawkins Road (~ 50 ft.), then completely flattened. By the time these pictures were taken, the trailer had been moved back to near its original location, which was in front of the wooden steps (pictured on the far left).
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-Miscellaneous pictures of tree tops sheared off and debris caught in wires.
Created by John Quagliariello
