Dramatic videos have emerged online after tornadoes and thunderstorms ripped through a number of Eastern states.
The National Weather Service issued severe weather threats and tornado watches for parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware on Saturday as strong winds battered the areas, leaving tens of thousands of people without power.
The NWS said the severe weather threat has since ended, but winds of up to 45 miles per hour could still take place up to early Sunday morning.
Clips of the severe thunderstorm and possible tornadoes in the states have appeared on social media, with winds of around 70 miles per hour recorded in parts of New Jersey.
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The Ocean County Sheriff’s office in the Garden State told people to stay off the roads on Saturday amid reports of trees and power lines toppling over in the winds.
“We urge the public in Jackson Township to stay off the roads this evening due to multiple trees, poles, and wires down,” the department posted on Facebook while sharing an image of the damage.
A tornado was confirmed in Sussex County, Delaware, shortly after 6 p.m. local time on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. At least one person is confirmed to have died in Sussex County after a home collapsed amid the powerful storms, Delaware State Police Leonard DeMalto told ABC News.
DeMalto added there is “widespread residential damage” across the western part of the county following the tornado.
The Delaware Department of Transportation issued a statewide traffic alert warning of dangerous driving conditions and lowered the speed limit on I-495 from 65 to 55 miles per hour as a result of the weather.
NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Marvin Gomez said that the sunny weather which preceded the thunderstorms on Saturday in Pennsylvania were ideal conditions for tornadoes to form.
“We are going to see some sunshine early afternoon [Saturday], but again, this is only going to provide a false sense of security, because that sunshine will act as, basically, the energy,” Gomez said.
“It’s going to cook our atmosphere and that’s what’s going to provide enough instability, enough energy for some of the severe thunderstorms later in the afternoon and later in the evening that could produce a tornado or two. Yes, conditions will be ideal for a tornado or two to occur across our area.”
More than 129,000 people are reported to be without power following the severe weather in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
