A waterspout and two potential tornadoes swept through New Jersey

Reports of funnel clouds, or tornadoes that have not touched ground, in North Jersey and a confirmed waterspout off the coast of Cape May swept through New Jersey on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service was investigating reports of funnel clouds that could have become tornadoes in Stanhope, Sussex County, and in Parsippany-Troy Hills in Morris County, outside of New York, on Tuesday. A waterspout, or tornado that forms over the water, appeared in the Delaware Bay off the southern tip of Cape May Point around 6 p.m., and could be viewed as far south as Rehoboth Beach.

Sporadic damage occurred around Cape May Point, where the waterspout touched down along Knox Avenue and brought high winds that tore down some trees and a few power lines as it hit land and began to dissipate, according to Bill Gibson, the borough’s emergency management coordinator.

“We commonly get waterspouts in the bay and harbor, but this was a big one, and when it hit land it was able to continue on for a little bit,” Gibson said Wednesday morning. “But it’s already all cleaned up.”

National Weather Service surveyors were investigating the North Jersey areas with tornadic damage Wednesday. The agency was conducting a virtual survey for Cape May Point since the damage was minimal. Findings were expected Wednesday evening.

While the weather service surveys continue, the Philadelphia region, especially south and east of the I-95 urban corridor, could experience additional thunderstorms. The risk is much lower than Tuesday, but isolated severe storms can still bring damaging winds Wednesday afternoon, according to the weather service.