Thunderstorm Wind, Richmond
- When
- September 7, 1:17 PM EST
- Where
- Richmond County, Great Kills
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.550, -74.170
Tornado and Hail in New York, September 7, 1998
An intense line of severe thunderstorms oriented from north to south developed during Labor Day afternoon ahead of a strong approaching cold front. As the storms moved east at 40 to 50 mph, they produced high winds, large hail, and an isolated tornado.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 13
- Property damage
- $3.5 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 20
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS OKX wrote it up.
An intense line of severe thunderstorms oriented from north to south developed during Labor Day afternoon ahead of a strong approaching cold front. As the storms moved east at 40 to 50 mph, they produced high winds, large hail, and an isolated tornado. Wind gusts from 60 to 80 mph downed many trees and power lines throughout the area. The cost estimates of damage included above are preliminary figures submitted by the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management.In Richmond County, the following peak wind gusts were reported: 80 mph at Great Kills, the Verranzano Bridge, and in Richmond. High winds downed trees and caused a building to collapse in Richmond. One tree fell on and injured a man in Richmond.In New York County (Manhattan), high winds caused a building to collapse.In the Bronx, high winds downed a tree that fell on 3 people resulting in 1 death and 2 injuries in the courtyard of the Edenwald Houses at 1135 East 229th Street.In Kings County (Brooklyn), high winds downed and uprooted several large trees. One tree fell on and injured a person at East 229th Street. Five to 6-foot diameter trees were uprooted east of Coney Island in the Gerritsen Beach Section, where 3 funnel clouds were also sighted and a firefighter was injured from large hail. Large trees also fell on and damaged cars in Bensonhurst.In Queens County, a peak wind gust of 62 mph was measured at both LaGuardia Airport and at JFK Airport.In Nassau County, the following peak wind gusts were reported: 75 mph in Farmingdale, 60 mph in Port Washington and Mineola and 58 mph at Farmingdale Republic Airport. High winds downed large tree limbs at Rockville Center, Baldwin, and Oceanside and downed trees in Long Beach, Massapequa, and Valley Stream. One-inch diameter hail dented cars and covered the ground in Farmingdale.In Suffolk County, high winds overturned many boats in the Great South Bay, downed large trees in West Babylon and Rocky Point and downed large tree limbs in Wading River. One person died when a thunderstorm wind gust capsized a 19 foot sail boat in Great South Bay near Copiague. A Centerport woman, 36, and her daughter, 3, were injured when a tree fell on them in the parking lot of the Ground Round Restaurant and CVS on Fort Salonga Road. The following peak wind gusts were reported: 72 mph in Babylon and 65 mph in Fire Island.
The radar
The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 70 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:16 UTC.
Event by event
14 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 1 funnel cloud, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Richmond
- When
- September 7, 1:30 PM EST to 1:35 PM EST
- Where
- Richmond County, Richmond
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.570, -74.170
Thunderstorm Wind, Bronx
- When
- September 7, 1:30 PM EST to 1:35 PM EST
- Where
- Bronx County, Bronx
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- BROADCAST MEDIA
- Coordinates
- 40.830, -73.900
Thunderstorm Wind, Westchester
- When
- September 7, 1:36 PM EST
- Where
- Westchester County, Armonk
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.120, -73.730
Thunderstorm Wind, Kings
- When
- September 7, 1:36 PM EST to 1:45 PM EST
- Where
- Kings County, Countywide
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.650, -73.970
Thunderstorm Wind, Queens
- When
- September 7, 1:36 PM EST
- Where
- Queens County, Queens Vlg
- Measured
- 54 kt (62 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 40.720, -73.750
Thunderstorm Wind, New York
- When
- September 7, 1:40 PM EST
- Where
- New York County, New York
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.730, -74.000
Hail, Kings
- When
- September 7, 1:45 PM EST
- Where
- Kings County, Coney Is
- Measured
- 1.5 in hail
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.580, -73.980
Funnel Cloud, Kings
- When
- September 7, 1:45 PM EST
- Where
- Kings County, Coney Is
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.634, -73.950 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Kings
- When
- September 7, 1:50 PM EST
- Where
- Kings County, Brooklyn
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.650, -73.930
Thunderstorm Wind, Nassau
- When
- September 7, 1:50 PM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Nassau County, Countywide
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph)
- Property damage
- $2.5 million
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.770, -73.620
Hail, Nassau
- When
- September 7, 1:50 PM EST
- Where
- Nassau County, Long Beach
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.580, -73.670
Thunderstorm Wind, Queens
- When
- September 7, 1:51 PM EST
- Where
- Queens County, (Jfk)kennedy Inl Arp
- Measured
- 54 kt (62 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 40.630, -73.780
Tornado, Nassau
- When
- September 7, 1:55 PM EST
- Where
- Nassau County, Lynbrook
- Measured
- 100
- Rating
- F2
- Path length
- 0.2 mi
- Path width
- 200 yd
- Injuries
- 6 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 40.650, -73.680
The NWS confirmed that an F2 tornado was responsible for significant damage that occurred in Lynbrook. Most of the village received damage from straight line winds up to 80 mph, that was associated with a severe squall line. Downed trees covered the village with some structural damage where the F2 tornado touched down.The major path of damage was from the northwest section of Lynbrook east-southeast to the southeast section of the village. Funnel clouds were observed from near the intersection of Marshall Ave. and Burtis Street and to the southeast. A tornado was first sighted by two eyewitnesses on Hampton Place. It rose and touched down several times: Second, near Winter Street and across Glover Circle; Third, along Peninsula Blvd. between Earle and Benton Avenues; and Fourth, as a weak F2 near the intersection of Rocklyn Ave. and Merrick Road. It moved across the Long Island Railroad Tracks and Sunrise Highway before it finally dissipated.More than three hundred trees were blown over, many on houses and cars. Six people received minor injuries. Four of these were in "The Fun Zone" on Rocklyn Avenue. One woman was slightly injured by a tree that fell on her car. One police officer was also injured.
Thunderstorm Wind, Suffolk
- When
- September 7, 2:08 PM EST
- Where
- Suffolk County, Babylon
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.700, -73.320
Hail, Nassau
- When
- September 7, 2:10 PM EST
- Where
- Nassau County, Farmingdale
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.730, -73.450
Thunderstorm Wind, Suffolk
- When
- September 7, 2:15 PM EST to 2:28 PM EST
- Where
- Suffolk County, West Babylon to Wading River
- Measured
- 63 kt (72 mph)
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.720, -73.350
Thunderstorm Wind, Nassau
- When
- September 7, 2:25 PM EST
- Where
- Nassau County, Massapequa to Valley Stream
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.680, -73.450
Hail, Suffolk
- When
- September 7, 2:30 PM EST
- Where
- Suffolk County, East Patchogue
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.750, -72.950
Thunderstorm Wind, Suffolk
- When
- September 7, 2:45 PM EST
- Where
- Suffolk County, Brookhaven to Westhampton Beach Ar
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.770, -72.900
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Bronx | 1998-09-07 | 19 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Thunderstorm Wind, Suffolk | 1998-09-07 | 61 | Male | Boat | Direct |
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tropical Storm in Texas, September 7 to 12, 1998
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, September 7, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in New Jersey, September 7, 1998
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, September 7, 1998
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, September 7, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, September 7 to 26, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, September 7, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, September 7, 1998
- Flash Flood and Hail in Pennsylvania, September 7 to 27, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, September 7, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, September 7, 1998
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, September 7, 1998
More
Every storm in New York in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for New York, 1998Warnings in New York, September 1998
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5669612, 5669613, 5669614, 5669615, 5669616, 5669620, 5669622, 5669617, 5669618, 5669619, 5669623, 5669684, 5669621, 5669683, 5669687, 5669685, 5669688, 5669686, 5669689, 5668770.