Small Tornado Touched Down on Long Island, National Weather Service Says

The National Weather Service has confirmed that a weak tornado touched down in Mattituck on Wednesday afternoon.

Based on a survey conducted by an NWS meteorologist, NWS doppler weather radar data, emergency management and trained Skywarn spotters, the NWS confirmed there was a tornado at 4:25 p.m.

As a severe thunderstorm moved southeast across eastern Suffolk County, it produced the "small weak short-lived tornado," which had maximum wind speeds of 70 mph, the NWS says.

Most wind damage was concentrated between Main Road and New Suffolk Avenue close to the corridor from Cardinal Drive southeast to Blossom Bend, where the tornado lifted before reaching New Suffolk Avenue, the NWS said. Wind damage was confined mainly to trees, with several trees snapping in half. There were no reports of any injuries.

About 15 minutes later, a lightning strike caused a fire that destroyed a home in Peconic. Thunderstorms also caused serious flooding on the North Fork and in East Hampton.

A microburst or small tornado also struck North Haven, Connecticut, on Wednesday afternoon (see video of that tornado below).