National Weather Service confirms tornadoes in Delaware and New Jersey

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly confirmed that a tornado struck New Castle County, Delaware, and Chesterfield Township, New Jersey, Thursday afternoon.

The Details

One video appears to capture a tornado moving through Claymont, Delaware.

The tornado in New Jersey happened in the area of Old York Road in Burlington County.

Tornado in Chesterfield, New Jersey

The NWS said Friday that an EF-1 tornado with an estimated wind speed of 100 mph tore through Burlington County around 4 p.m. Thursday.

The first noticeable damage was a farm building about three-quarters of a mile southwest of the intersection of Old York and Borden Chesterfield roads. The building's external walls collapsed, according to the NWS. Trees along Old York Road were also damaged, and a residence in the area lost a significant portion of its roof. The tornado continued parallel to Bordentown Chesterfield Road and damaged a school and farm equipment in that area.

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A line of severe thunderstorms with embedded supercells moved through the Philadelphia region Thursday, triggering tornado warnings in New Castle County, Delaware, and parts of New Jersey. The storm produced heavy rain, widespread hail in some areas and a tornado, leaving behind damage.

The average number of November tornadoes across the tri-state area is zero. Only four tornadoes have been recorded to touch down in Delaware between 1810 and 2025, 15 in New Jersey and 41 in Pennsylvania.

The last November tornado in Pennsylvania occurred in Allegheny County on Nov. 20, 2024. The last November tornado to occur in New Jersey was on Nov. 1, 2019, in Morris County, and the last November tornado in Delaware occurred on Nov. 16, 1989.

Tornado in New Castle County, Delaware

The National Weather Service said an EF-1 tornado with estimated peak winds of 100 mph touched down Thursday between 1:05 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. in Newark. The track was 4.4 miles long and 175 yards wide at its maximum width.

Ring camera video captured the moment neighbors believed the tornado barreled through their Newark neighborhood. The ripping wind sent trash cans and other debris flying into the air.

Neighbor Antonio Dalesio says he and his wife frantically rushed to the safety of their basement.

"It's something that I never experienced in my life," Dalesio said.

The storm also sent hail pounding down, leaving a trail of damage. It damaged decks and beat up cars and siding. Roofs were ripped, and windows were blown out.

Sonesta sign damages 2 cars in Newark, Delaware

The sign at the Sonesta ES Suites Wilmington/Newark on Chapman Avenue in Newark tipped over and fell on top of two cars.

One of the cars damaged is a Lexus owned by a woman named April. April told CBS News Philadelphia that she was working on the second floor of the Sonesta when she heard a "boom." She didn't think it was her car at first, but is grateful no one was hurt.

"I thought it was someone else's car, like a Honda. It hurts bad, and I want Lexus to know that I want a new Lexus," April said. "I am grateful that I was not in the car because I did not want this to be a tragedy to my family. … I'm grateful and appreciative that everybody was concerned about me and glad I was not in the car because normally I'm in the car."

Emily Schneider is staying at the Sonesta, visiting her daughter who goes to the University of Delaware. She was inside a nearby restaurant when the storm blew through and described what she experienced.

"It was crazy, especially since we know we were parked here last night and it was a couple of spaces down from where we are parked right now," Schneider said. "We saw the tree that was uprooted when we drove in. We thought maybe there was a downed power line. They have some caution tape out. They're doing some work here. We weren't really sure what it was until we came back and saw back some of the news. We didn't realize it was a tornado."

The storms also blew down some fences and downed some trees and wires in the area.

It's unclear whether the tornado and storm have resulted in any injuries.

Storms bring heavy hail to Delaware County

It wasn't just tornado damage in the Philadelphia region. A severe thunderstorm dropped about 19 inches of hail Thursday afternoon in Parkside Borough, Delaware County, according to its police department.

A stretch of Edgmont Avenue, from West Forestview Road to Upland Road, was temporarily closed while crews cleared hail from the roadway.

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In Brookhaven, heavy rain and a large amount of hail from a severe thunderstorm appeared to turn a street into an icy river Thursday afternoon. The hail appeared to coat the ground and, combined with heavy rain, flow downhill.