NEW YORK (TNND) — A rare tornado touched down in New York City’s coastal suburbs Thursday evening, tearing through a Nassau County beach club as a powerful storm system drenched the Mid-Atlantic and brought flooding and damage across the region.
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado hit Atlantic Beach, New York, after forming as a waterspout over the Atlantic Ocean and moving ashore between roughly 6:30 and 7 p.m. The agency said it based the confirmation on radar data, video showing the waterspout coming ashore and damage reports near the Sun and Surf Beach Club.
The tornado tore through the Sun and Surf Beach Club, damaging or destroying about 50 cabanas, ripping apart walls and roofs and scattering wood, furniture and other debris. More than 100 people were at the club when the storm hit, though another report put the number around 200.
Despite the extensive damage, no serious injuries were reported. One beach club employee suffered a minor head injury and declined medical treatment. First responders searched the cabanas twice to make sure no one was trapped.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman declared a state of emergency and activated the county’s Emergency Operations Center after the storms. The state of emergency was lifted Friday morning.
Across Nassau County, the broader storm system brought downed trees and power lines, flooding and additional structural damage. People were trapped in flooded vehicles in Elmont and Valley Stream, and a roof was blown off a building in Stewart Manor.
Nearly 3 inches of rain fell in parts of Nassau County, while heavy rainfall also affected Queens, Long Island and other parts of the New York City region.
The weather service was also investigating a second circulation about a mile east that may have produced another waterspout near Atlantic Beach and the Five Towns area, though no damage had been reported from that system.
The Atlantic Beach tornado was the first confirmed tornado in Nassau County since 2021. New York’s peak tornado season generally runs from June through August.
Video from the storm showed the waterspout approaching shore and debris being thrown into the air. One beach club member said his family was sheltering inside a cabana when the tornado ripped its roof off, though they escaped largely unharmed.