Rain, hail and a tornado hit parts of Northeast

By Gene Norman

Rain, hail, gusty winds and a tornado hit parts of the Northeast on Saturday afternoon as a cold front made its way through the area, prompting severe thunderstorm watches and weather warnings.

“Conditions improve this evening but winds remain blustery into tonight,” the National Weather Service in New York said Saturday afternoon.

The line of storms raced east Saturday, leaving behind spotty rain, gusty winds and rapidly falling temperatures.

Hail threats were expected to impact parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island and possibly southeastern Massachusetts into Saturday evening.

A severe thunderstorm watch was also in effect until 7 p.m. ET Saturday for parts of southeast New York and parts of southern Connecticut and Rhode Island, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center.

The line of storms was expected to produce damaging wind gusts, brief, isolated tornadoes and hail up to the size of a quarter.

On Sunday, the weather service’s New York office confirmed a tornado hit Saturday afternoon on Long Island.

After conducting a damage assessment, they determined the tornado’s strength as EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with maximum winds of 85 mph.

The tornado began at 2:37 p.m. Saturday near Woodmere before dissipating near Levittown at 2:55 p.m. Damage included a roof torn from a two-story home in Uniondale and a tree that fell on a house in Levittown.

The NWS had issued a tornado warning earlier Saturday for Suffolk and Nassau counties on Long Island, noting a storm which was capable of producing a tornado was located over Levittown on Saturday afternoon and could impact Farmingdale, Plainview and Deer Park.

Videos posted on social media showed the aftermath of the storm. Resident Dave Gordon posted a video on Twitter of rotating clouds from a possible tornado in Old Bethpage, New York, Saturday, saying the effect lasted about five minutes.

There were also reports of ping-pong sized hail in Uniondale, New York, while other parts of the state, as well as New Jersey, also reported large hail.

The weather service also issued a severe thunderstorm warning earlier Saturday including all of New York City and parts of northeast New Jersey, warning of powerful wind gusts strong enough to cause damage to trees and power lines.

“My team and I are closely tracking the snow, heavy rains, and wind across the state today,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Twitter Saturday evening. “Stay safe, New York.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned Saturday the city could see “some strong rain, wind gusts up to 40 MPH and even hail between … 2-4 p.m.”

“Use public transportation and exercise caution if you’re outside during those hours,” the mayor wrote on Twitter.

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CNN’s David Williams and Christina Maxouris contributed to this report.