Rare funnel cloud forms over New York harbor as thunderstorms hit the NE

Keith Griffith
Daily Mail
Wed, 18 Jul 2018 13:27 UTC

A funnel cloud (seen right from New Jersey) formed over New York Harbor on Tuesday afternoon, but did not touch down

A funnel cloud has formed over New York Harbor, as a line of summer thunderstorms caused flooding and travel chaos across the Northeast.

The ragged funnel cloud was spotted from both Brooklyn and New Jersey circulating over the water on Tuesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service said in a statement that 'there was no apparent sign of the circulation touching the water'. There were no reports of damage.

The rains stopped on Tuesday evening for much of the region as the storm moved off to sea, but not before delivering misery for air travelers and commuters and threatening to delay the start of the MLB All-Star game.

Meanwhile, heavy rains from the storm system have caused massive delays at major airports in Boston, New York City, and Washington DC.

Departure traffic on Tuesday evening was delayed by an average of five hours at Newark Liberty International, three hours at both John F. Kennedy International and Boston Logan, and an hour at Reagan Washington National, according to the FAA.

Across the country, ripple effects from the storm contributed to 896 flight delays and 155 cancelled flights, according to FlightAware.

In New York City, some commuters faced wretched conditions on the way home from work, with station flooding causing massive delays in parts of the system.

Videos circulating on Twitter showed water pouring from the ceiling of Longwood Avenue Station on the 6 Line in the Bronx, as well as at the DeKalb Avenue Station in Brooklyn.

Severe weather is causing flooding in some areas across the system,' said the Metropolitan Transit Authority in a statement. 'We are battling station flooding on the L at 1 Av, at Times Sq, and on the 1 at Houston St. Please stay safe, NYC.'

At Nationals Park, where the MLB All-Star Game was set to be played on Tuesday night, grounds crews worked to pump water out of flooded dugouts, but officials said they hoped to get the field in playable condition to start on time.

The rain stopped in time for the National League and American League players to take abbreviated batting practice

'You have to deal with elements,' NL starter Max Scherzer of the host team Nationals told the Associated Press.

'You have to pitch when it's cold, you have to pitch when it's hot, when it's windy, when it's rainy. This is just another element of baseball that a pitcher just has to deal with.'

Across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, roadway flooding trapped at least 40 motorists in rapidly rising waters.

The Arlington Fire Department's water rescue team deployed inflatable rafts and safely removed all of the stranded drivers and passengers, rescuing 40 people from 25 vehicles.

There were no reports of injuries or medical events.

In Worcester, Massachusetts there were also reports of flash flooding, with several vehicles becoming trapped in rising waters. The Arlington Fire Department's water rescue team deployed inflatable rafts and safely removed all of the stranded drivers and passengers, rescuing 40 people from 25 vehicles.