Tornadoes Hit Long Island and Delaware Capital, Causing Damage and Flooding

Residents in Delaware’s capital and on Long Island, New York, were picking up the pieces on Friday after tornadoes touched down during sudden storms that battered the north-eastern US with heavy rains and left dozens of people stranded in their cars during flash flooding.

Long Island Tornado Confirmed

The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado struck Long Island's Atlantic Beach Thursday evening. "Radar data, video of the waterspout coming onshore, and damage reports in the vicinity of the Sun and Surf Beach club in Atlantic Beach allow for confirmation of a tornadic touchdown in this area," the National Weather Service said in a statement Friday morning. It is the first confirmed tornado in Nassau County since 2021.

A tornado touched down at the Sun & Surf Beach Club, leaving one person with minor injuries and major damage to at least 50 beach cabanas, according to the Nassau county chief fire marshal, Michael Uttaro. The injured person, a club employee, suffered a minor head injury and refused medical attention at the scene, according to the Inwood Fire Department. Inwood Fire Chief Josiyah Green said no one was trapped in any of the cabanas or had to be rescued, describing the outcome as "luck" given the beach club's popularity in summer.

The beach club was hosting a party with between 200 and 300 people when the storm hit, and club members had started to evacuate before the tornado struck, fire officials told Newsday. The Sun & Surf and Silver Point, another affected club, said they will be closed until further notice as damage is assessed.

County Executive Bruce Blakeman discussed the tornado in a news conference Friday morning. "Yesterday, at approximately 7:11 p.m., we had a tornado touched down here in Atlantic at the Sun and Surf Beach Club," he said. The National Weather Service has since clarified that the tornado hit at 6:50 p.m. Blakeman said there was "extensive damage" but no serious injuries. He also said first responders rescued people trapped in their vehicles during flooding.

"Tornadoes form in an instant. And in this case, it started off over the ocean, worked its way over the land here in Atlantic Beach. And luckily, there were no other tornadoes that popped up here in the region," Blakeman said.

A tornado warning was issued for parts of Nassau County from about 6:45 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday evening. The NWS said there was "another circulation about one mile farther east, that could have spawned a shoreward moving waterspout in the Atlantic Beach and Five Towns area of far southwestern Nassau County," but noted there were no damage reports as yet associated with that waterspout.

Damage from the tornado and Thursday's storms prompted a state of emergency in Nassau County, which was lifted Friday morning.

Tornado Report in Dover, Delaware

The National Weather Service said a trained spotter also reported a tornado in Dover, Delaware, during Thursday evening's storms. Pictures and video on social media show the roof of a motel being blown off and damage to other buildings along Route 13 north-east of downtown.

The mayor of Dover, Robin Christiansen, said a state of emergency was lifted on Friday morning to allow residents and businesses to resume normal activities. Police urged residents to be patient and set aside extra time for travel. "There is still debris throughout the city, and crews will be out working on cleanup, repairs, and restoring services. You may encounter blocked lanes, utility crews, emergency personnel, and other delays," local police said on social media.

Regional Flooding Impacts

In other parts of New York, flooding caused part of the Long Island Expressway in the borough of Queens to close in both directions, according to New York City emergency management. In Jersey City, New Jersey, emergency crews rescued 69 people trapped in cars that were overtaken by flash flooding, said the mayor, James Solomon. Emergency crews used small inflatable boats to reach people who were stranded.

Tornadoes are relatively rare in the US north-east compared with the country's interior.