Alert archive / New Jersey / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

May 20, 2026Ocean County, New Jersey

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 2026, 6:12 PM EDT for Ocean County, New Jersey. It was in force for 33 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 20, 2026, 6:12 PM EDT (22:12 UTC)
Expired: May 20, 2026, 6:45 PM EDT
In force: 33 min
Issued by: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 0.75 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

County Ocean County, NJ

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 30 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:16 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 20, 6:30 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	4 Ese Lakehurst, NJ	Picture on social media showed multiple large limbs blown down. Time estimated from radar.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 20, 2:10 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Brookhaven, NY (KOKX), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 138 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 31 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -279 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1524 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 90 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 80 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

563 
WUUS51 KPHI 202212
SVRPHI
NJC029-202245-
/O.NEW.KPHI.SV.W.0049.260520T2212Z-260520T2245Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
612 PM EDT Wed May 20 2026

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly NJ has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
  Northeastern Ocean County in southern New Jersey...

* Until 645 PM EDT.

* At 612 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Holiday City
  South, or over Toms River, moving east at 25 mph.

  HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated.

  IMPACT...Damage to roofs, siding, trees, and power lines is 
           possible.

* Locations impacted include...
  Toms River, Beachwood, Manasquan, Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside
  Heights, Lakehurst, Mantoloking, Leisure Village, Dover Beaches
  North, Holiday City South, Pleasant Plains, Cedar Glen West,
  Leisure Village East, Dover Beaches South, Holiday City-Berkeley,
  Bamber Lake, Brick Township, Pine Ridge At Crestwood, Leisure
  Village West-Pine Lake Park, and Point Pleasant.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

&&

LAT...LON 4013 7397 3986 7397 3984 7436 4003 7435
      4010 7408 4009 7407 4011 7404 4010 7404
      4011 7403
TIME...MOT...LOC 2212Z 258DEG 23KT 3997 7422 

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

Fitzsimmons

1 follow-up statement

339 
WWUS51 KPHI 202243
SVSPHI

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
643 PM EDT Wed May 20 2026

NJC029-202253-
/O.EXP.KPHI.SV.W.0049.000000T0000Z-260520T2245Z/
Ocean NJ-
643 PM EDT Wed May 20 2026

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN OCEAN COUNTY WILL
EXPIRE AT 645 PM EDT...

The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and has exited the warned area. Therefore, the warning will
be allowed to expire.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 900 PM EDT for
central and southern New Jersey.

LAT...LON 4013 7397 3986 7397 3984 7436 4003 7435
      4010 7408 4009 7407 4011 7404 4010 7404
      4011 7403
TIME...MOT...LOC 2243Z 258DEG 23KT 4001 7399 

$$

Fitzsimmons

The office that day

Everything else NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 20, 2:25 PM EDT	Small Craft Advisory	PHI		3 days
May 20, 4:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Hunterdon, Warren	47 min
May 20, 5:01 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	PHI		86 min
May 20, 5:10 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Camden, Gloucester	50 min
May 20, 5:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Burlington, Hunterdon, Mercer, Somerset	45 min
May 20, 5:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, Warren	51 min
May 20, 5:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Camden, Gloucester, Salem	46 min
May 20, 5:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Salem	40 min
May 20, 5:40 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	PHI	Burlington, Camden, Gloucester	3 hr
May 20, 5:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean	49 min
May 20, 5:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Burlington, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and 1 more	38 min
May 20, 6:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Burlington, Camden, Gloucester	44 min
May 20, 6:04 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	PHI	Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Somerset	56 min
May 20, 6:07 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	PHI		53 min
May 20, 6:09 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Ocean	46 min
May 20, 6:17 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	PHI		118 min
May 20, 6:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Burlington, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset	56 min
May 20, 6:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Ocean	32 min
May 20, 7:30 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	PHI		90 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New Jersey, 2026 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.