2007 Brooklyn tornado

No serious injuries or fatalities were reported as a result of the tornado, but several people were treated at area hospitals for flying glass injuries. At least 40 buildings and 100 cars were damaged. New York State Senator Martin Golden’s office estimated damage in the tens of millions of U.S. dollars.

The storm system produced severe street flooding, and disrupted all modes of transportation throughout the city. Service was delayed or suspended on all 24 New York City Subway services during the morning rush hour, and nine services were still not running by the evening rush.

Timeline

The typical summer storm system that spawned the tornado gathered strength over Pennsylvania, caused heavy rain over New Jersey and continued its eastward movement, reaching New York City at sunrise.

According to the National Weather Service, the first tornado first touched down in Staten Island at approximately 6:22 am EDT (1022 UTC) in the vicinity of St. Austins Place in the Livingston - Randall Manor area, before moving east, with additional damage occurring in the Tompkinsville area, probably from a subsequent tornado that formed from a new area of circulation just north of the first tornado. Most of the damage on Staten Island was to trees, and was rated EF1 intensity with estimated winds of 86–110 miles per hour (138–177 km/h).

The circulation intensified, and headed east across The Narrows tidal strait, just north of the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge, and the tornado re-developed and touched down again in Brooklyn, at Bay Ridge at 6:32 am EDT. It continued on an east-northeast path across 68th Street between Third and Fourth Avenues, damaging the roofs of 11 homes. The storm continued to move east-northeast into Leif Ericson Park Square, where severe damage to trees occurred, and where winds blew out a 15-foot-tall (4.6 m) stained glass window valued at $300,000 at the nearby Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church. It then crossed the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. The tornado touched down farther northeast with scattered tree damage along Sixth Avenue. Based on the assessed damage this stage of the tornado was classified EF2 with wind speeds of 111 to 135 mph (179 to 217 km/h).

The tornado returned to the ground with another pocket of significant damage on 58th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. Roofs were ripped off 5 homes, with tree damage indicating strong EF1 damage. The tornado then headed east and touched down again in Kensington and the Flatbush neighborhood of Prospect Park South at approximately 6:40 am EDT. Approximately 30 trees were uprooted along Ocean Parkway.

The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for portions of Staten Island and Brooklyn at 6:28 am. Tornado warnings were also briefly issued for eastern Brooklyn and Southern Queens and Nassau County on Long Island, but no tornadoes were reported in those areas.