Residents of a Long Island hamlet awoke Monday morning to downed trees and power lines thanks to what many in the community suspected was a tornado.
The storm survey team dispatched to Mattituck confirmed their suspicions later that day, concluding that an EF-0 tornado had touched down around 11:15 p.m. Sunday night.
A preliminary report by the National Weather Service estimates the system's winds reached 75 to 85 mph, keeping the tornado in the lowest strength category.
The tornado may have been on the "weak" end, but it still packed a punch. Mattituck resident Nancy Burt felt its strength. She woke up just moments before a tree slammed into her roof.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
"I’m like holy cow! It’s a close call, man," Burt said, inspecting the branch piercing the ceiling outside her bedroom.
Ron Mazzaferro said the storm sounded like a freight train and snapped a large tree on his property. Trees were toppled all along a tight mile-and-a-half stretch in the North Fork community.
News
"I've been through quite a few hurricanes out here, but I never want to go through that one again. That scared the hell out of me," Mazzaferro said Monday.
The sounds of chainsaws could be heard for much of Monday as crews worked to clear streets, yards and houses of downed trees and branches. Only a couple dozen customers were still without power
Tim Morrin, with the National Weather Service, inspected the damage looking for any information that would help answer what came through Sunday night.
"[There's] enough evidence that I'm going to bring this information back to the office and we're going to look at it further," he told News 4 hours before confirming the EF-O tornado.
The storm made for an unexpected clean up day for Anthony Martignetti, who sheepishly admitted he never heard a thing.
"We had no idea. I guess we just had too much wine at dinner and slept right through it," he said.
