A wide swath of tree damage was reported in Gloucester and Atlantic counties last Friday, from New Jersey's longest tornado in almost four years.

The National Weather Service shared new information about the tornado that damaged property in New Jersey and said that a gustnado formed during the storms.

It was not a tornado, but rather a gustnado with 100-105 mph winds that brought down trees and branches in Franklinville, New Jersey, on May 16, 2025, the National Weather Service said.

UPDATE: The tornado threat in New Jersey has diminished and all of the tornado warnings have expired as of 1:30 p.m. Friday. However, forecasters say intense thunderstorms continue to sweep across the state, and several areas remain under flash flood warnings because of the heavy downpours.

The NEXT Weather Team is tracking a cluster of severe storms that could move across the Philadelphia region on Friday morning. It appears a weakening cluster of strong-to-severe storms will arrive from west to east between 8 and 11 a.m. on Friday. Due to the possible storms, a NEXT Weather Alert will be in effect for the region.

A gustnado is a small whirlwind that forms in thunderstorm outflows, but it does not connect with any cloud-base rotation, which makes it different from a tornado. Similar to dust devils, some stronger gustnadoes can cause damage.

The EF-0 tornado generated winds of 65 to 75 mph and remained on the ground for a half-mile, the weather service said after inspecting the storm damage.

After a chaotic and emotional day, the clean-up effort in Collings Lakes, New Jersey, is just beginning in this community.

A “gustnado” — a tornado-like whirlwind more common to the Plains than South Jersey — swirled in Gloucester County Friday with winds up to 105 mph, the National Weather Service said Monday.

An extreme weather outbreak on May 16 spawned deadly tornadoes and storms. At least 23 were killed in Kentucky, 7 in Missouri and 2 in Virginia.