NEW YORK (AP) — The nasty weather system blamed for four deaths in Oklahoma yesterday is now causing havoc in the East.
Firefighters are assessing the damage in a New York City neighborhood after a tornado swept out of the sea and sent debris flying. No injuries have been reported from today's twister that hit the Rockaway peninsula in Queens.
At the Breezy Point Surf Club, the tornado ripped the roofs off rows of cabanas, scattered deck chairs and left a heavy metal barbecue and propane tank sitting in the middle of a softball field. The community of seaside bungalows was littered with broken flower pots, knocked-down fences and smashed windows.
In western New York, strong winds blew roofing off some buildings in Buffalo and sent bricks into the street.
The storms that are now threatening the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states erupted yesterday in Oklahoma, where a cold front collided with triple-digit heat.
Authorities say fierce winds flung a mobile home into a creek in northeastern Oklahoma, killing a couple and their grandchild. A Missouri truck driver also died after winds flipped his semi.
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APPHOTO NY111: This photo provided by Michael Abrams, shows a storm cloud over the Breezy Point area of Queens section of New York, on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012. A Fire Department spokesman said there were power lines down and possibly other damage in the Point Breeze section of the Rockaway peninsula in Queens. The general manager of the Breezy Point Surf Club tells the Associated Press the storm ripped up cabanas and even picked up industrial-sized metal trash bins. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Queens and Brooklyn as a line of strong thunderstorms moved through the city. The service said radar detected a "strong rotation" in the storm, but there was no immediate confirmation that a twister actually formed. (AP Photo/Michael Abrams) MANDATORY CREDIT (8 Sep 2012)
<<APPHOTO NY111 (09/08/12)>>
APPHOTO INMAR104: Storm clouds darken the sky over Marion, Ind., in the early afternoon Friday, Sept. 7, 2012. The threat of severe weather continued through the late afternoon and evening in Central Indiana. (AP Photo/Jeff Morehead, Chronicle-Tribune) (7 Sep 2012)
<<APPHOTO INMAR104 (09/07/12)>>
APPHOTO NY4: The forecast for noon, Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012 shows a strong cold front moves into the Eastern Valleys, triggering showers and thunderstorms from the Great Lakes through the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. Some of these storms will turn severe with strong winds, hail, and periods of heavy rain. (AP Photo/Weather Underground) (7 Sep 2012)
<<APPHOTO NY4 (09/07/12)>>
