A funnel cloud was spotted over the New York harbor Tuesday afternoon as severe storms began to lash the region. Multiple social media users spotted the ragged looking funnel southwest of the Brooklyn waterfront as the leading edge of the storm began to push through the region. "Baby Brooklyn tornado," tweeted one observer. The National Weather Service later tweeted "we reviewed pictures and video from New York Harbor, and determined there was a funnel cloud. From the videos we saw, there was no apparent sign of the circulation touching the water." We reviewed pictures and video from New York Harbor, and determined there was a funnel cloud. From the videos we saw, there was no apparent sign of the circulation touching the water. — NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) July 17, 2018 The cloud was the least of the city's worries from the storm, however. The system lashed the area with heavy rains, waterlogged streets and subway stations with flash-flood waters and otherwise made a mess of the evening commute. See posts of the cloud below. https://twitter.com/michaeluturn/status/1019292967633289216 Lightning, Thunder and Fierce Storms Rage Across the Tri-State<doc-sep>Share: A funnel cloud was spotted on Tuesday – over New York Harbor. Take a look as a funnel cloud moved over New York Harbor, between the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon as a strong line of storms moved through the city. Waterspout spotted over the harbor from Jersey City. Both photos courtesy of Geoff from @33andrain! pic.twitter.com/M4uQYKyysM — Mike Mostwill (@MikeMostwill) July 17, 2018 The National Weather Service (NWS) office in New York said no tornado touched down, but it was indeed a funnel cloud. A funnel cloud is the parent to a tornado, but in order for a tornado to have officially taken place, the funnel needs to be in contact with the ground. The funnel lifted quickly. This was in association with a strong line of storms that moved through the area on Tuesday afternoon, some of which led to flooding in and near Washington, D.C, about 200 miles southwest of New York City. #Breaking: 20 plus vehicles with water up to their doors on GW Pkwy at Reagan Airport. Avoid GW PKWY!!! pic.twitter.com/61BaHuyroQ — Arlington Fire (@ArlingtonVaFD) July 17, 2018 Stay with WeatherNation for the latest on this. For WeatherNation: Meteorologist Chris Bianchi<doc-sep>Weather WATCH: 'Baby Tornado' Hovers Over Brooklyn As Storm Strikes The torrential storm also flooded the subways and the FDR Drive. Reply BROOKLYN, NY — The torrential storm that slammed New York City Tuesday afternoon brought plenty of rain and thunder — and even a "baby tornado." One video posted to Twitter shows a funnel-shaped cloud hovering over Brooklyn as the thunderstorms moved over the metropolitan area. It's unclear whether the cloud is rotating. But Michael Uturn, who took the footage in Downtown Brooklyn, described it as a "baby brooklyn tornado." It wasn't the only swirling mass spotted in the sky during the rough weather. Another video by Max Guliani appears to show a waterspout over New York Harbor as the storm hit Lower Manhattan. But the National Weather Service determined it was just a funnel cloud that didn't actually touch down. baby Brooklyn tornado @NY1 pic.twitter.com/F83GWuH1oN — michael uturn (@michaeluturn) July 17, 2018 "From the videos we saw, there was no apparent sign of the circulation touching the water," the weather service tweeted Tuesday afternoon. (Keep up with NYC events and news by subscribing to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.) The storm is expected to drop more than an inch of rain on the city by Tuesday evening. The five boroughs are under a flash flood watch until 10 p.m. The wet weather caused travel headaches as floods hit the subways and at least one major road. A Twitter video showed the FDR Drive covered in water near 79th Street, with a puddle flowing over a curb.<doc-sep>
Thanks to the wild thunderstorm that pounded the northeast this afternoon, New Yorkers might’ve seen a weather phenomenon that doesn’t appear too often: a funnel cloud. The National Weather Service’s New York branch confirmed via Twitter that a funnel cloud was spotted over New York Harbor during the storm. Funnel clouds differ from tornados in one very important way: they don’t touch the ground. Or, as The Weather Guys, who report from the University of Wisconsin–Madison put it, “Many tornadoes are at one time funnel clouds, but not all funnel clouds become tornadoes.” We reviewed pictures and video from New York Harbor, and determined there was a funnel cloud. From the videos we saw, there was no apparent sign of the circulation touching the water. — NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) July 17, 2018 While tornados are rare in New York City, they do happen. In 2012, a twister hit south Brooklyn, causing damage to trees and cars across Bay Ridge and Sunset Park. More severe ones hit the same area in 2007 during a storm that also memorably hammered the NYC subway, stopping service for several hours. The storm that brought the funnel cloud to the city today has lessened in intensity, but rain is still expected in the five boroughs for much of the evening. And now, some video of this wild occurrence for all the severe weather geeks out there: A funnel cloud was reported south of Rockaway Beach, NY. Our cameras were rolling to capture the passing storm in time lapse, and voila there it was. #StormWatch #NJwx #NYwx #NJToday #FunnelCloud @News12NJ pic.twitter.com/Qy1loDDOl1 — Dave Curren (@DaveCurren) July 17, 2018