Wantage hit by tornado

Funnel cloud had winds of 120 mph, By Beth Kalet Wantage — A tornado struck at about 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29, helping this most un-summery month come to a true summertime close. The funnel cloud first touched down in the Wantage Township in the neighborhood of Route 519 and Rutgers Road, according to Eskil “Skip” Danielson, Sussex County’s director of Emergency Management. It then continued to hop along, bearing winds of about 120 mph, bouncing over the region’s mountains and touching down several more times before crossing the border into New York, where it petered out. In the process, it knocked down and uprooted trees, pulled a porch from one side of a house to the other and smacked into several roofs on the Ricker Farm, causing considerable damage, but no human being was injured. Danielson said that earlier that afternoon, at about 2 p.m., a tornado warning had been issued for the area by the National Weather Service. Shortly afterward, his office used its new outbound 911 service to reissue the warning. This was only the third time in 30 years that a tornado hit the region, Danielson said. When it first touched down, the tornado “did considerable damage to trees and signs in the area,” Danielson said. A house at the location was “well protected,” and unharmed. A local resident observed the classic funnel cloud and reported it. July 29 tornado facts Winds: 120 mph Distance the tornado traveled: about 7 miles. Longest distance covered while on the ground: about 7/10 of a mile. Of that, about 5/10 of a mile was complete woodland. Average width of the tornado while on the ground: 300 feet wide Type: An enhanced F2 tornado, which means it has winds from 110-135 mph. Source: Eskil (Skip) Danielson, Sussex County Director of Emergency Management; and the National Weather Service