Rare tornadoes struck Delaware and Long Island on Thursday
A tornado hit Long Island for the first time in 5 years, almost at the same exact time a twister touched down in Dover, Delaware, Thursday afternoon.
Video shows a waterspout approaching Atlantic Beach on Long Island on Aug. 20 before moving ashore as a tornado and causing extensive damage at two beach clubs.
At least two tornadoes were spotted during dozens of tornado warnings issued Thursday evening during severe thunderstorms in the Northeast.
A tornado touched down in Dover, Delaware, around 6:20 p.m. EDT, then less than 10 minutes later, a waterspout on Long Island made landfall as a tornado near Atlantic Beach, the National Weather Service (NWS) in New York City later confirmed.
First tornado to hit Nassau County, New York, in 5 years
"Based on radar and videos/photos received, we are able to confirm that a waterspout likely paralleled the far southeastern portion of the Rockaway near the mouth of the East Rockaway Inlet and came onshore as a tornado in the far west end of Atlantic Beach between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. on Aug. 20, 2026," the NWS said in a statement.
"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 NWS added.
Nassau County Executive Bruce A. Blakeman said on Facebook that property damage was done at Silver Point Beach Club and Sun and Surf, but there were no casualties. Sun and Surf confirmed on Facebook that multiple buildings and cabanas were damaged.
The tornado is the first to be reported in Nassau County since 2021, when an EF0 tornado tore a path more than 13 miles through the county on Nov. 13, 2021. The strongest tornadoes ever confirmed in the county were F2s on the Fujita Scale and happened in 1970, 1973 and 1998, according to TornadoArchive.com.
Thursday's tornado will be the subject of a storm survey on Friday to determine its strength. The last tornado on Long Island before Thursday was an EF0 twister that touched down on Sept. 25, 2022, in Suffolk County.
Another tornado touched down in Dover, Delaware
Dash camera video captured a motel roof being torn off in Dover, Delaware, as a likely tornado moved through, leaving downed trees, flooding and other damage.
The Dover Air Force Base reported a funnel cloud at 6:17 p.m. EDT Thursday evening, while a trained spotter reported a rain-wrapped tornado on the ground near the Dover Speedway. Structural damage was also reported at the Kraft Food Facility.
Tree damage throughout Dover cut power to some customers and knocked out traffic signals. After "significant damage," the Dover Police Department declared a state of emergency for the city at 6:20 p.m.
The city of Dover has recorded only one tornado throughout history, an EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale that struck on Aug. 4, 2020.
The NWS will survey the tornado damage on Friday to determine the tornado's strength.
Another tornado took the roof off a school in York, Pennsylvania
The roof of Eastern York High School in York, Pennsylvania, was destroyed by a storm shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday. While no tornadoes were reported in the area, the NWS investigated the damage on Friday, saying "The team has confirmed that the damage in that immediate area was caused by a tornado."
"The team will be making a determination on the strength/length of the tornado after further review of the damage," the NWS said in a statement.
Report a Typo
