Schools in Mantua Township, Gloucester County, closed Wednesday after severe overnight storms tore through South Jersey and the wider Philadelphia region, according to CBS Philadelphia.
The storms knocked out power, toppled trees onto homes, and left roads blocked by fallen branches and downed lines.
The Mantua School District announced all schools would be closed Wednesday, citing significant storm damage to surrounding roadways, including downed trees and power lines.
Officials said they would assess cleanup progress Wednesday before deciding whether to reopen Thursday.
Damage in Mantua Township
CBS Philadelphia reported a tree came down directly onto a house in Mantua, with crews navigating an area where the majority of power was out. The damage was immediate and widespread.
Police set up flares to guide drivers through darkened intersections where wires hung in the streets. Branches and fallen trees covered neighborhoods and portions of Route 45.
FOX 29 reported that one Mantua homeowner described the sound of the wind as resembling a train coming through.
That same resident told FOX 29 that the full extent of the destruction was not apparent until daylight, saying the damage was devastating to see in the morning.
How the Storms Moved Through the Region
The storms began pushing across southeastern Pennsylvania and into New Jersey around dinnertime Tuesday, FOX 29 reported.
The National Weather Service issued severe weather alerts for several New Jersey counties, including a tornado warning in Burlington County.
As of Wednesday morning, no tornado touchdown had been confirmed.
Heavy rain, damaging winds, and flash flooding hit communities in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Delaware wasn’t spared either.
A lightning strike at a house in Dover sparked a fire, FOX 29 reported.
Additional School Closings and Power Outages
Beyond Mantua, multiple school districts across the Philadelphia region closed Wednesday as crews worked to clear roads. Power outages were widespread on both sides of the Delaware River.
The storm forced road closures in the hardest-hit communities as utility and public works crews responded throughout the night and into the morning.
The National Weather Service warned that another round of potentially severe storms could reach the region Wednesday night into Thursday school dismissal changes, adding urgency to cleanup efforts already underway.
What Residents Described
One Mantua-area resident who spoke to CBS Philadelphia said the storm initially seemed routine — thunder and lightning like a typical summer system. Then golf ball-sized hail began falling.
Winds intensified sharply, a loud whistling sound passed through, and then the storm stopped just as quickly as it had arrived.
Cleanup was still ongoing as of Wednesday morning. Fire crews responded to multiple calls through the night across the region.