New York tornado warning: Queens, parts of Long Island on alert as severe weather brings flooding

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for parts of Queens County and Nassau County until 7:15 p.m. Thursday.

Nassau County is located on Long Island, New York. The warning comes as storms are expected to bring heavy rain and severe weather across the region through the evening.

Flooding has already been reported in parts of New York.

The New York City Emergency Management issued a statement, saying, “The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning for all or part of New York City. Immediately go indoors and/or to the lowest floor of your building for shelter. Stay away from windows.”

“During a tornado warning, be prepared to potentially lose power. Charge cell phone batteries, gather supplies, and turn refrigerators and freezers to a colder setting. Always stay clear of downed power lines. If you are affected by the outage, turn off all appliances, avoid downed and hanging power lines, and keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to prevent food spoilage. Do not use generators indoors. If you lose power and have a disability or access needs, or use Life Sustaining Equipment (LSE) and need immediate assistance, please dial 9‑1‑1. For more information, visit www.weather.gov/nyc.”

Areas under the warning include:

Southern Bergen County, New Jersey

Essex County, New Jersey

Hudson County, New Jersey

Eastern Passaic County, New Jersey

Northeastern Union County, New Jersey

Bronx County, New York

Kings (Brooklyn) County, New York

New York (Manhattan) County, New York

Queens County, New York

Richmond (Staten Island) County, New York

At 5:39 p.m. EDT, the NWS said Doppler radar showed thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain had already fallen, with rainfall rates of up to 1.5 inches per hour possible.

Another 1 to 2 inches of rain could fall in the warned area, the NWS said, adding that flash flooding was already occurring or could begin shortly.

Also Read: Dangerous tornado tears through Dover, Delaware; damage reported

A video circulating on social media appeared to show rainwater pouring onto a subway platform at Penn Station as heavy storms hit the city. Heavy rain was also reported in Chelsea, Manhattan, and around the Clearview Expressway in Bayside, Queens.

The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway was closed in both directions at Queens Boulevard in Queens. The Long Island Expressway was also closed in both directions at Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens. Drivers were advised to seek alternate routes.