Alert archive / New Jersey / Tornado Warnings in 2026

Tornado Warning 14, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

July 21, 2026Cape May County, New Jersey

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this tornado warning at Jul 21, 2026, 5:49 PM EDT for Cape May County, New Jersey. It was in force for 26 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 21, 2026, 5:49 PM EDT (21:49 UTC)
Expired
Jul 21, 2026, 6:15 PM EDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
1.0 in

County Cape May County, NJ

The radar

The Dover AFB radar (KDOX), 60 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:49 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 21, 2:06 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 225 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2026-07-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 941 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2026-07-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 68 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
941 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-113 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
772 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
68 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
112 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

003 
WFUS51 KPHI 212149
TORPHI
NJC009-212215-
/O.NEW.KPHI.TO.W.0014.260721T2149Z-260721T2215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
549 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly NJ has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southwestern Cape May County in southern New Jersey...

* Until 615 PM EDT.

* At 549 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over Scotch Bonnet, or 9 miles northeast of Cape May,
  moving east at 25 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* Locations impacted include...
  North Wildwood, Sea Isle City, Avalon, Stone Harbor, Cape May Court
  House, Scotch Bonnet, Rio Grande, West Wildwood, and
  Whitesboro-Burleigh.

This includes Garden State Parkway between mile markers 4 and 15.
 
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to
flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

&&

LAT...LON 3899 7483 3902 7490 3914 7484 3915 7466
      3899 7476
TIME...MOT...LOC 2149Z 257DEG 22KT 3905 7480 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN

$$

Staarmann
2 follow-up statements
862 
WWUS51 KPHI 212205
SVSPHI

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
605 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

NJC009-212215-
/O.CON.KPHI.TO.W.0014.000000T0000Z-260721T2215Z/
Cape May NJ-
605 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM EDT FOR CENTRAL
CAPE MAY COUNTY...

At 605 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located over Scotch Bonnet, or 11 miles northeast of Cape May,
moving east at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
         shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage 
         to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree damage is 
         likely.

Locations impacted include...
North Wildwood, Sea Isle City, Avalon, Stone Harbor, Cape May Court
House, Scotch Bonnet, and Whitesboro-Burleigh.

This includes Garden State Parkway between mile markers 7 and 15.
 
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to
flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

&&

LAT...LON 3902 7480 3906 7487 3914 7484 3915 7466
      3904 7474
TIME...MOT...LOC 2205Z 254DEG 19KT 3907 7477 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN

$$

Staarmann
010 
WWUS51 KPHI 212214
SVSPHI

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
614 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

NJC009-212223-
/O.EXP.KPHI.TO.W.0014.000000T0000Z-260721T2215Z/
Cape May NJ-
614 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL CAPE MAY COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 615
PM EDT...

The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 900 PM EDT for southern New
Jersey.

To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement
agency. They will relay your report to the National Weather Service
Mount Holly NJ.

Remember, a Tornado Warning still remains in effect for southern 
Cape May County until 645 PM EDT.

LAT...LON 3902 7480 3906 7487 3914 7484 3915 7466
      3904 7474
TIME...MOT...LOC 2213Z 257DEG 22KT 3908 7471 

$$

Staarmann

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 21, 8:49 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHISussex, Warren2 hr
Jul 21, 11:01 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningPHI59 min
Jul 21, 11:14 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningPHI46 min
Jul 21, 12:07 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningPHI53 min
Jul 21, 1:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIMorris, Sussex, Warren53 min
Jul 21, 2:00 PM EDTTornado WarningPHIMorris30 min
Jul 21, 2:25 PM EDTTornado WarningPHIMorris50 min
Jul 21, 2:49 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIMorris3 hr
Jul 21, 2:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIHunterdon37 min
Jul 21, 2:57 PM EDTTornado WarningPHIMorris, Somerset48 min
Jul 21, 3:13 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIMorris, Somerset3 hr
Jul 21, 4:06 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningPHI54 min
Jul 21, 4:38 PM EDTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatPHIBurlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem4 hr
Jul 21, 4:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIGloucester, Salem47 min
Jul 21, 4:46 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningPHI89 min
Jul 21, 4:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIMercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset55 min
Jul 21, 5:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBurlington, Camden46 min
Jul 21, 5:30 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningPHI2 hr
Jul 21, 5:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIAtlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem45 min
Jul 21, 5:43 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningPHI2 hr
Jul 21, 6:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBurlington, Ocean39 min
Jul 21, 6:07 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningPHI53 min
Jul 21, 6:09 PM EDTTornado WarningPHICape May36 min
Jul 21, 6:18 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningPHI57 min
Jul 21, 6:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIAtlantic, Burlington, Ocean41 min
Jul 21, 6:41 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningPHI94 min
Jul 21, 6:50 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningPHI85 min
Jul 21, 7:06 PM EDTTornado WarningPHIOcean12 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in New Jersey, 2026Every tornado warning in 2026Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.