TL;DR

Ten tornadoes were reported across Arizona, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, part of a widespread severe weather outbreak that generated 348 wind damage reports and 6 hail reports across 20 states. Most tornadoes occurred during the late afternoon and evening hours, with confirmed touchdowns captured on video in multiple locations.

A Multi-Region Severe Weather Event

Tuesday's severe weather unfolded across an unusually broad geographic area, with tornado reports spanning from the Arizona high desert to the Mid-Atlantic coast. The National Weather Service received 10 tornado reports, 6 hail reports, and 348 wind damage reports between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning, affecting communities from the Rockies to New England.

The Storm Prediction Center's Day 1 outlook highlighted the potential for severe weather across multiple regions, with particular emphasis on damaging winds as the primary threat. The forecast proved accurate as wind damage dominated the day's severe weather reports, though tornadoes became a significant story across several states.

Where the Tornadoes Touched Down

The first tornado report came at 1810 UTC (2:10 pm EDT) near Stanhope, New Jersey, where a trained spotter witnessed a touchdown at the intersection of Interstate 80 and US Route 206. Trees and debris blocked the roadway following the event.

Thirty-three minutes later, video captured a second tornado on the ground at a driving range in Parsippany, just north of Troy Hills, New Jersey. The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly estimated the timing based on radar data.

Ohio Valley Tornadoes

The tornado activity shifted westward during the evening hours. At 1917 UTC, video posted to social media showed a tornado producing wind damage near Duncan Falls, Ohio, approximately two miles west-northwest of the community. The footage was captured from Durants Road in Zanesville, facing south.

Later in the evening, at 2248 UTC (6:48 pm EDT), the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency confirmed a tornado on the east side of Youngstown, Ohio, moving southeast toward Campbell. Local television station WKBN broadcast live video of the tornado as it moved through the area.

Kentucky Touchdowns

Two tornadoes struck Hart County, Kentucky, within one minute of each other. At 2156 UTC, trees fell onto a home near the 500 block of Rowletts-Cave Spring Road, though no injuries were reported. One minute later at 2157 UTC, a tornado struck the Hart County Animal Shelter approximately one mile north-northeast of Rowletts.

Additional Tornadoes

A waterspout moved ashore at Cape May Point, New Jersey, at 2213 UTC, captured on video and shared across social media platforms.

In Arizona, a landspout tornado was photographed east of Snowflake at 2215 UTC. The National Weather Service office in Flagstaff confirmed the tornado from photos shared on social media.

West Virginia saw tornado damage at 2321 UTC near Ruddle, where the Pendleton County Emergency Manager reported tree damage consistent with tornado activity. An eyewitness account corroborated the damage assessment.

The final tornado of the day touched down briefly in Pennsylvania at 2353 UTC (7:53 pm EDT), captured on video across from 109 Bauder School Road in Prospect, approximately two miles south-southeast of Portersville.

The Wind Damage Story

While tornadoes captured attention, damaging winds were the dominant hazard Tuesday. The 348 wind reports came from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The wind damage began early, with the first report at 1247 UTC (8:47 am EDT) near Avonia, Pennsylvania, where a tree and power lines were downed. Reports continued throughout the afternoon and evening as a cold front progressed eastward across the country.

New York state saw extensive tree damage, with the National Weather Service receiving dozens of reports of downed trees blocking roadways and bringing down power lines. In Ohio, over 1,200 customers lost power due to tree damage in and south of Nelsonville around 1548 UTC. Additional outages affected more than 1,000 customers between Cutler and Vincent, Ohio.

One notable wind report came from Owego, New York, at 1702 UTC, where winds were estimated at 60 mph.

Hail Reports

Six hail reports accompanied Tuesday's severe weather. The largest hailstone measured approximately 2.25 inches in diameter and fell in Doswell, Virginia, at 1855 UTC, reported by broadcast media.

Other hail reports included:

  • 1.5-inch hail four miles south-southeast of Golansville, Virginia (1852 UTC)
  • 1-inch hail at Fort Walker, Virginia (1830 UTC)
  • 1.5-inch hail one mile south-southwest of Erie, Pennsylvania (1252 UTC)
  • 1-inch hail in Dolores and Cortez, Colorado (2157-2200 UTC)

What Drove Tuesday's Outbreak

According to the Storm Prediction Center's Day 1 outlook, multiple weather systems contributed to the widespread severe weather.

Across the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic, the region was influenced by the base of an eastern U.S. trough and a moderately strong belt of cyclonically curved westerlies. The SPC noted that "storm redevelopment and re-intensification today will tend to favor a persistent west-east zone of pre-frontal convergence" across southern Virginia and northern North Carolina.

The outlook highlighted that around 30-40 knots of effective shear would "support some organized clusters and conditionally support some supercells, especially with somewhat stronger wind profiles with northward extent across southern/eastern Virginia toward the Delmarva."

In New England, a shortwave trough and moderately strong mid-level jet streak were favorably timed with afternoon heating, particularly across New Hampshire and Maine. The SPC forecast noted that "effective shear of 30-40 kt and strong upper-level winds will support the possibility of some supercells aside from organized multicells."

No Ratings Yet

As of Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service had not yet assigned Enhanced Fujita scale ratings to any of Tuesday's tornadoes. All 10 tornado reports list "UNK" (unknown) for intensity. NWS survey teams typically conduct damage assessments in the days following tornado events to determine official ratings.

The lack of immediate ratings is common when tornadoes occur across multiple states simultaneously, requiring coordination among several NWS forecast offices. Survey teams from the offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Louisville, Flagstaff, and Sterling will likely conduct assessments over the coming days.

Context: An Unusual Geographic Spread

While 10 tornadoes in a single day is not extraordinary during peak severe weather season, the geographic distribution of Tuesday's reports is noteworthy. Tornado events spanning from Arizona to New Jersey are relatively uncommon, reflecting the influence of multiple distinct weather systems operating simultaneously across the country.

The Arizona landspout developed in a different meteorological environment than the supercell-driven tornadoes farther east. Landspouts form along boundaries in environments with weak vertical wind shear, typically beneath developing cumulus clouds, and are generally weaker and shorter-lived than mesocyclone tornadoes.

The eastern tornadoes developed along and ahead of a cold front, in an environment with stronger wind shear and greater atmospheric instability. Video evidence from multiple locations suggests several of these tornadoes were associated with organized rotating thunderstorms.

Looking Ahead

The Storm Prediction Center's Day 2 outlook for Thursday, July 23, shows no severe weather risk categories outlined. The Day 3 outlook for Friday highlights a Marginal Risk across portions of Minnesota, North Dakota, the Southeast, and Great Lakes regions.

Tuesday's outbreak serves as a reminder that severe weather can develop across multiple regions simultaneously during the summer months, when various weather patterns interact with daytime heating and moisture. While the peak tornado season in the Plains typically occurs in spring, summer severe weather events can affect nearly any part of the country.

For residents in areas where tornadoes touched down Tuesday, the coming days will bring damage assessments and cleanup efforts. The National Weather Service will continue surveying damage to determine official tornado ratings and path lengths.

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