NEW YORK, NY — A powerful storm system swept across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on Thursday, prompting tornado warnings, flash flooding and reports of hail and damage from New York to Delaware. In Queens, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for an area that included John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport after radar showed rotation moving toward the borough.
The warning came as severe weather quickly disrupted travel around New York City and raised concerns for people near the airports and nearby roads. Conditions also deteriorated in parts of Delaware and Pennsylvania, where officials and residents dealt with flooding, possible tornado damage and water rescues. Snow even fell farther north in the Adirondacks, underscoring how unusually broad the storm’s reach became.
Queens warning covers JFK and LaGuardia as storm tracks northeast
The weather service issued the Queens warning at 1:14 p.m. ET Thursday and said the storm near Rockaway Beach was moving northeast at about 15 mph toward JFK Airport. The warning remained in effect until 2 p.m. ET. Both airports were under the tornado warning as thunderstorms and hail moved through the area.
Ground stops were in place at both JFK and LaGuardia, creating the possibility of delays and diversions for thousands of travelers. The storm also brought heavy rain and flash flooding around the airport corridor. Parts of the JFK Expressway closed, traffic was diverted, and at least one nearby vehicle was reportedly stranded in floodwaters.
Heavy rain and flash flooding cause road closures around the airport corridor
The combination of pounding rain and rising water made the airport area one of the hardest-hit parts of the storm. Flooding forced transportation changes near JFK, where officials closed sections of the expressway and rerouted traffic as waters built up. The scene created added disruption on top of the ground stop already affecting flights.
Reports of a vehicle stuck in floodwaters showed how quickly conditions changed on the ground. For travelers and nearby drivers, the storm created a dangerous mix of reduced visibility, standing water and severe thunderstorm activity. With radar-indicated rotation nearby, the warning added urgency to an already unstable situation in southeast Queens.
Delaware sees confirmed tornado and signs of possible hospital damage
Farther south, the storm triggered another tornado warning in Delaware for parts of New Castle County, including Wilmington, Newark, Stanton and Newport. Social media videos appeared to show a funnel cloud near Wilmington, and authorities later confirmed a tornado had touched down.
There were also reports of damage around Christiana Hospital in Wilmington that appeared consistent with a probable tornado. One sighting suggested a helicopter had lost its rotor. The storm made history as only the second November tornado in Delaware since records began in 1950, a rare late-season event for the state.
Pennsylvania flooding leads to water rescues as hail spreads
The storm’s impacts were not limited to tornado threats. In New Jersey, quarter-sized hail was reported, adding another layer of severe weather to the day. In Pennsylvania, flash flooding was serious enough that water rescues were reportedly underway in Aston and Chester Township.
Those rescue efforts show how the same weather system produced different hazards across a relatively short distance. Some areas dealt with rotating thunderstorms and tornado warnings, while others faced rapidly rising water. The mix of hazards made the event especially disruptive for communities across the region and complicated response efforts as storms continued to move through.
Snow in the Adirondacks shows how wide the storm spread
While the lower elevations battled rain, hail and tornado warnings, winter weather made an appearance farther north. In the Adirondacks of upstate New York, snow was falling in Piseco, about 65 miles northwest of Albany. The sight of accumulating snow so early in the month added to the unusual character of the storm system.
The broad range of conditions highlighted how strong and sprawling the weather pattern was on Thursday. Severe thunderstorms, flash flooding and snow were all part of the same system as it moved through the Northeast. That reach made the storm memorable not just for its intensity, but for the variety of hazards it brought in a single day.
Rain and northeast winds expected to continue into Friday
The weather pattern was not expected to end quickly. Rain was forecast to continue in the region into Friday, with northeast winds and periods of heavier downpours likely to keep conditions unsettled. The continued wet weather raised the possibility of more localized flooding as the system lingered.
Residents were urged to keep checking National Weather Service alerts because conditions could change fast. With tornado warnings, airport disruptions, flooding and hail already reported, additional rounds of rain could keep travel and outdoor plans unstable. The storm’s lingering effects suggested that impacts across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic were likely to continue beyond Thursday.