Powerful Storms Bring Rain, Hail & Lightning To Heat-Smothered Tri-State
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- After three days of intense heat, the cool has come at a price. Dangerous storms moved through our area, bringing some welcome relief but serious downpours with it.
The storms brought rain, hail and lightning with them, bringing sudden changes in the sticky weather that lingered for days over the region. The storms also created flash floods, brought down trees, and downed power lines in various spots.
SEND US YOUR STORM PHOTOS HERE
The storms were so intense in Manahawkin, New Jersey that hail was caught blanketing the area. In the nearby Township of Stafford, at least six inches of rain left cars in water almost up to their hoods.
CHECK: Forecast | Advisories & Warnings | LIRR | Traffic
Stafford Police Lt. Thomas Dellane told CBS 2 that about 10 vehicles were destroyed by flood waters. In addition "numerous" residences were struck by lightning and several residents had to be rescued from flood waters, Dellane said.
CHECK OUTAGES: Con Ed | NYSEG | LIPA | Orange And Rockland | PSE&G | JCP&L | CL&P
One of those vehicle belonged to Katie Orlando. Despite her mother's best efforts to move the vehicle, the rain came pouring down.
"As soon as she came out, she said she couldn't even open the door. So it was pretty quick," Orlando told CBS 2's Sean Hennessey.
Dellane said officials had little warning before the powerful storms moved through.
"The past couple hours have been pretty rough," he said. "We were in the thick of it before we realized what was happening."
Thunderstorms hammered Long Island bringing down trees and taking power lines with them. A fast-moving storm knocked down trees in Carle place in Nassau County. A heavy blast of hail also hit in Great Neck.
LIPA crews arrived Friday afternoon to fix downed powers lines caused by a fallen oak tree in Carle Place. A transformer explosion also caused quite a stir for panic-stricken residents.
"All of a sudden it was an explosion -- like a bomb went off," one resident told CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan.
The horrible lightning storm lasted for about an hour and many Long Island residents -- mostly in Islip, Hempstead, Oyster Bay and North Hempstead -- are waiting for the restoration of power.
Lightning also hit a large home in Melville, making for some scary moments.
WCBS 880's Sophia Hall Reports
Podcast
"It traveled through the wall and settled into the kitchen and there's a tremendous amount of smoke damage, but thank God nobody was hurt," the homeowner told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall.
Heavy rain, thunder and lightning made its way through New York City. In Manhattan, a lightning bolt struck in what seemed to be just inches away from One World Trade Center. Another sudden downpour left streets flooded out in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn.
Utility crews also had their work cut out for them after a transformer blew in Corona, Queens. Witnesses told CBS 2's Jessica Schneider that lightning hit a transformer and went down the power line and shot down the street.
The storms also caused several power lines to go down in the area and left Con Edison going door to door.
The storms also caused a tree to fall onto the N train track at Kings Highway and 8th Avenue. Downtown N trains were running on the D line between 36th Street in Brooklyn and Stillwell Avenue.
After the storm worked its way through the city, the temperature dropped from 90 degrees to 74 degrees.
The storm forced system-wide delays for the LIRR, including the temporary suspension of service between Jamaica Station and Atlantic Terminal due to signal problems. The suspension was lifted just in time rush hour.
There were also delays at area airports. The rough weather also forced four planes bound for New York City airports to be diverted to Bradley International Friday afternoon, WCBS 880 reported.
It became officially a heat wave - three days in a row of temperatures of 90 degrees or more - earlier. By midday, it reached 93 degrees in Newark, N.J., 90 degrees in Hartford, Conn. and 90 degrees in New York City.
Please share your thoughts below...
