What to Know
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An 11-year-old girl in Newburgh died during the storms Tuesday, when a tree toppled by winds crushed the car she was in, police say
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A woman also died in Newburgh; two people were killed in Connecticut, and one man was killed in Pennsylvania
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The storms left widespread damage through the tri-state, and several NY counties have declared states of emergency; mass transit was a mess
The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF2 tornado with estimated peak winds of 110 mph tore through roughly 100 yards of a Putnam County community as deadly storms walloped the entire region Tuesday.
The agency said the tornado hit in Kent; it also said a macroburst with max sustained winds up to 90 mph impacted a 4 mile-long area in nearby Cherry Hill. NWS confirmed the events Wednesday on a damage assessment tour of New York’s hard hit Putnam and Orange counties, as well as southern Connecticut.
Earlier Wednesday, the National Weather Service confirmed that a microburst — an intense column of sinking air within a thunderstorm — with estimated winds gusting to 80 mph rolled through the area near North Salem in Westchester County, downing about 250 yards worth of trees.
A full assessment is expected later in the day.
The monstrous storm system was the most severe weather the tri-state area has seen this spring, so ferocious it generated a small tsunami in New Jersey, killed nearly a half-dozen people and paralyzed virtually the entire region at the height of the evening commute. Few spots were spared the intensity.
Watch Tuesday’s Severe Storms Roll into NYC in 15 Seconds
The nightmare storms, which knocked out power to hundreds of thousands, have been blamed for at least five deaths in the region, including an 11-year-old girl in Newburgh. All victims were crushed to death by fallen trees.
Airlines canceled and delayed flights in and out of the region. In New York City, thousands of commuters were stranded in Grand Central Terminal after rail lines were temporarily suspended due to downed trees on the tracks.
Stunning Rainbow, Sunset After the Storm
Giant metal construction pieces and scaffolding were no match for the fierce winds — they were sent whipping and spinning into the air, plunging dangerously onto the street. Toppled trees were a common sight across the city — in Central Park, in Brooklyn and East Harlem.
Uprooted trees were reported across the Garden State, too. In Ho Ho Kus, a tree fell on Bernard Place, hitting a house and car; houses were also seen crushed by trees in Wyckoff and Scotch Plains, along with live downed wires. A lightning strike is thought to be the culprit for a car fire on Route 46 in Clifton.
Incredible Post-Storm Sunset From 1 World Trade Center
Source : Nbcnewyork
