This funnel cloud was photographed by
© Forrest JenningsThis funnel cloud was photographed by Stockton University student Forrest Jennings as it was spinning above Barnegat Bay just south of Seaside Park in Ocean County. The photo was taken from Island Beach State Park in the afternoon on Tuesday, July 18, 2023.
When you're walking along the beach on a hot summer day, you might expect to see a lot of sun worshippers and beach umbrellas lining the sand. And maybe a banner plane flying over the shore.

But instead of the normal sights and sounds associated with the Jersey Shore, college student Forrest Jennings saw something ominous as he was leaving the beach in Island Beach State Park last Tuesday afternoon — a dark funnel cloud swirling over Barnegat Bay.

"It began spinning at about 3:15 p.m.," Jennings recalled. "I was already on my way out for the day and was walking to get off the beach by the IBSP maintenance building, and I saw the funnel cloud drop down out of the rest of the clouds and then it started spinning."


"I was like, 'Oh no, that's a tornado!!!' " he added. "It was more than a little scary, and I changed my walk into a sprint to get back to my car. But I also wanted to get pictures of it so I didn't know what to do. It ended up as a mix of shooting the cloud on my phone and in between short sprints for my car."

Jennings, a 22-year-old student at Stockton University, was one of several New Jerseyans who captured video footage and still photos of last week's funnel cloud as it swirled around in the sky over the Jersey Shore.

One video, recorded by Brian Deutsch from the back porch of a house in Bayville, shows a large thunderstorm cloud hovering in the sky over Barnegat Bay, just south of Seaside Park in Ocean County, and a lower cluster of storm clouds rotating very close to the bay.

The National Weather Service said it is reviewing the video footage, and if the funnel cloud actually touched the water surface, it would likely be classified as a waterspout — which is basically a type of tornado that forms over water and has similar characteristics as a land tornado.


"I spotted the funnel cloud at approximately 3:15 p.m. and after a minute, realized I should grab my phone to capture the rare moment," Deutsch said in an email. "After witnessing (Superstorm) Sandy firsthand from the same vantage point, I'm very tuned in to any unusual weather events."

Jennings, the college student, said he's not sure if the funnel cloud touched down, because his view was obstructed by sand dunes and vegetation.

"The bottom of the cone came close when I was on the trail by (the maintenance building) heading back, and it seemed to grow when I got to the parking lot. But at that point I could no longer see the bottom due to the trees and bushes," he said. "It is possible though that it could have touched down."

Jennings said the funnel cloud lingered for about 15 minutes before it began to dissipate.