A person in Manhattan was hurt when debris came flying off a building that had just been struck by lightning as powerful storms rolled through the tri-state area Thursday, authorities said.
Crews responding to the Pine Street building, between William and Pearl streets, found the individual with an unspecified injury. The person was taken to a hospital in unknown condition.
The nature of the debris that hit the person wasn't clear. It also wasn't known from what height it fell.
The freak accident happened as severe thunderstorm warnings popped up across all five boroughs of New York City, Connecticut's Fairfield County, much of northern New Jersey, Long Island and the Hudson Valley.
There was no immediate word of injuries elsewhere associated with this storm system, which saw its intensity fueled by an approaching cold front. Unusually warm temperatures also helped to destabilize the atmosphere.
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Severe thunderstorm warnings popped up across Connecticut's Fairfield County as well as Westchester and Putnam counties in New York and all five boroughs of New York City early in the day. Trees fell in parts of northern New Jersey, where severe thunderstorm warnings remained in effect through mid-morning. Check the latest weather alerts for your neighborhood here.
Area airports were hammered by the intense weather, with more than 16,000 flight delays -- and more than 500 cancellations -- reported at local hubs like LaGuardia, JFK and Newark.
In New York City, thunder bellowed loudly just before 10 a.m., as the storms moved in. Sheets of rain rippled through an empty Rockefeller Plaza as the flags that adorn the iconic ice rink whipped in the wind.
Power outages were particularly problematic in New Jersey's Sussex County. One school in Hamburg had to close for the day because it had no electricity. In New York, Rockland County had thousands without power as of mid-morning.
At the height of the storm about 40,000 customers in the tri-state lost power, mainly JCP&L customers in New Jersey. by mid-afternoon, service had been restored to most of those who had lost it in New York, where Westchester was hard-hit early. JCP&L still noted more than 13,000 in the dark as of 3 p.m.
Some of the damage may have looked like it came as a result of a tornado, but the National Weather Service said there were no tornadoes during the storms, with the damage was a result of straight-line winds and microbursts.
On a scale of 1 to 5, the severe weather threat is overall at a 1 – on the low end. That means only isolated severe weather is expected from this episode, not a widespread severe weather breakout.
10-day NYC weather outlook
Temperatures will remain above normal into the weekend. Saturday and Sunday look nice, overall, with a few sprinkles possible Saturday evening.
Monday still looks the worst weather-wise over the holiday weekend. We’re adding a chance for thunder during the day, too.
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