ISLAND BEACH STATE PARK, N.J. — A waterspout that formed offshore Tuesday morning came ashore near the southern end of Island Beach State Park, the National Weather Service confirmed, classifying it as a landspout tornado.
The weather service issued a preliminary storm report Tuesday afternoon confirming the waterspout crossed onto land near beach access 18. Once over land, a waterspout is considered a landspout — a weaker form of tornado capable of causing localized damage.
“A waterspout came ashore this morning at the southern end of Island Beach State Park. This technically made it a landspout for a short time once it was over land. It quickly weakened then dissipated after it crossed the sand dunes,” the National Weather Service confirmed in a statement.
Footage posted to Instagram by fisherman Matthew Farrell shows a rotating funnel cloud descending from low-hanging storm clouds, touching down over the water and appearing to move inland or toward Barnegat Bay.
Waterspouts can overturn boats or damage beach areas but are generally less intense than traditional tornadoes. No injuries or damage reports have been released as of Wednesday morning.
“A landspout is a type of tornado, but it (& waterspouts) forms under different circumstances than a supercellular (mesocyclonic) tornado. Tornado is a broad term; waterspouts & landspouts fall under the umbrella of the tornado definition, as they are a specific type of tornado,” the NWS added.
