What to Know
- Cars were squished by trees, a man was helped by paramedics after a limb fell on him and power outages were reported in Queens Thursday
- The fast-moving storms whipped through College Point and sparked rare tornado warnings in the borough, the Bronx and Nassau County
- A severe thunderstorm forced a stampede of concertgoers seeking shelter at the Beyonce and Jay-Z show at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey
Update: More Wild Weather Friday After Tornado Roars Through NYC
A tornado touched down in Queens as severe storms rolled through Thursday, weaving a path of destruction about three-quarters of a mile long and 100 yards wide, the National Weather Service said Friday.
The NWS confirmed the weak EF0 twister touched down near St. Fidelis Catholic Church in the College Point section. At least 50 trees were taken down. Rare tornado warnings were also issued late Thursday for the Bronx and Nassau County, but NWS crews had targeted their assessment in College Point.
Twister Downs 50 Trees, Leaves Trail of Destruction in Queens Neighborhood
The breadth of the damage was evident: One video showed a tree crush a woman’s car. Another showed a man get help from paramedics after a large tree limb fell on him. Streets appeared to more green than black, as scores of fallen leaves, trees and other debris obscured the pavement.
It was the seventh tornado to hit the city since 2010.
Queens Tornado Is the 7th to Hit NYC Since 2010
Storms battered New Jersey as well. One forced a stampede of concertgoers to seek shelter at the Beyonce and Jay-Z show at MetLife Stadium. The concert resumed after nearly an hour; Beyonce thanked the crowd for staying around.
“Thank y'all for riding. It's like 1 something in the morning," she said. "God bless you. We appreciate you. We love you."
Local
Beyonce and Jay-Z were scheduled to perform again on Friday, as even more severe storms rolled through.
Like Thursday, those storms fired up later in the day and were expected to keep much of the region soggy and unsettled through the evening. Intermittent severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for multiple counties in New Jersey, and a flash flood watch has been issued for New York's Dutchess County until early Saturday afternoon. A flash flood watch is in effect for the five boroughs, Long Island and Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties in New York. The watch is also in effect for Connecticut's Fairfield County and multiple counties in New Jersey. Check severe weather alerts for your neighborhood here.
Conditions stay ugly through Saturday, with yet another round of showers and storms moving in early. Periods of heavy rain associated with thunderstorms are expected to soak parts of the region Saturday morning through the early afternoon, possibly causing localized flooding in spots. Most of the wet weather tapers off by day's end.
The sun returns for Sunday -- along with more heat. Storm Team 4 says it could be the first of several days in the 90s.
