via CNN
Severe weather barreled across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic on Saturday as a powerful cold front brought heavy rain, high winds and at least one tornado into a beachfront neighborhood of New York City.
A waterspout with winds up to 70 mph churned onshore and turned into a tornado toward Breezy Point, officials said, a Queens neighborhood on the western edge of the Rockaway peninsula.
Amateur video captured images of the twister spiraling a mixture of sand and debris, which was largely flung onto a nearby baseball field, according to Ross Dickman, a National Weather Service spokesman.
The funnel churned about 600 yards inland before dissipating, Dickman said. But it still had enough power to knock down trees and power lines, causing minor structural damage to nearby buildings.
A New York fire department official, who declined to be named citing official policy, said fire units deployed to the Breezy Point area in response to reports of overturned cars, broken windows and roof damage.
“It just got real windy and dark,” said Juliana Santiago, who works at the Silver Gull Beach Club.
Roughly half a mile away, the Breezy Point Surf Club was damaged and closed after storms knocked out the power, said Santiago.
A second confirmed tornado touched down in Brooklyn, another New York City borough, around 11:30 a.m., according to the weather service. This twister was about 50 yards wide as it traveled a half mile in Canarsie, about 9 miles north of the other reported tornado.
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Article courtesy cnn.com
