Severe storms battered parts of Delaware and the New York City area Thursday evening, with a likely tornado inflicting substantial damage in Dover and two waterspouts twisting and dousing portions of Queens and Long Island. Officials declared states of emergency in Dover, Delaware's capital, and Nassau County, New York, as the storms triggered flooding, travel disruptions and reports of damage across the area. The likely tornado in Delaware's capital city generated "significant" damage, per officials.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told Newsweek late Thursday it has received videos and a report from a trained spotter of a rain-wrapped tornado in Dover, but said a damage assessment would determine whether the storm climbed to tornado status and its severity. City officials issued a state of emergency just after 6 p.m. ET, urging residents to stay home and off the roads.
In New York, the NOAA is reviewing damage from two waterspouts—swirling bands of air and moisture that form over water and deliver potent winds and stir up high waves—that may have impacted parts of the Eastern Rockaways and Atlantic Beach in southern Queens and Nassau Counties from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. There are preliminary reports of damage from the waterspout in Atlantic Beach, the NOAA said, with more information expected Friday. Photos show damage at Atlantic City's Sun and Surf Beach Club.
Nassau County also declared a state of emergency Thursday. Tornado and flash flood warnings were issued for parts of Queens. In Manhattan, videos posted on social media showed flooded subway stations as heavy rains pounded the city during the evening commute.
Flights were grounded Thursday evening at Philadelphia International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport amid the severe weather. ET, all four were still reporting delays of about one hour, according to FlightAware.
About 6,750 flights were delayed and nearly 850 others canceled across the U.S. as of late Thursday. A flood watch is active from Philadelphia to New York City until 2 a.m. Scattered severe thunderstorms and excessive rainfall are possible into the night in the Mid-Atlantic, and heavy rain will shift to Virginia and the Carolinas on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
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