What does it mean? The storm that hit on Thursday around 5:30 p.m. was not one tornado but two tornado—plus a macroburst! According to the National Weather Service, there an EF-0 tornado that touched down in Park Slope, Brooklyn (winds of 80 mph, max path width of 75 yards and a length of 2 miles), while a EF-1 tornado hit Flushing and Bayside, Queens (winds of 100 mph, max path width of 100 yards, and length of 4 miles). The macroburst, which was the most damaging, was near Middle Village and Forest Hills (winds of 125 mph, max path width of 5 miles and path length of 8 miles).
National Weather Service spokesman Gary Conte said, "We were extremely fortunate that there were no more fatalities"—aside from the woman killed on the Grand Central Parkway by a falling tree—"and extremely fortunate that there were no serious injuries." Senator Charles Schumer said, "The destruction caused by this storm was swift and sudden. Our first priority is to ensure that our residents are safe and our neighborhoods and streets get back to normal as quickly as possible. We have reached out to FEMA to ensure they are doing everything possible to help and I will continue to press Washington for any assistance we may need as New York City assesses storm damage and begins the clean-up."
It's believed that over 1,500 trees were damaged in the storm (see pictures above and here) which means tree service companies' phones are ringing off the hook.
