Potential Nor’easter Could Bring Season’s First Snow to Millions as Cold Air Sweeps East

THE TAKEAWAY:  A potential nor’easter could develop later this week, bringing snow, rain and strong winds. One forecast scenario takes the storm inland through the Ohio...
HomeUSNYC Borough Under Tornado Warning as Ominous Cloud Swirls Over JFK Airport

NYC Borough Under Tornado Warning as Ominous Cloud Swirls Over JFK Airport

A tornado warning was issued for parts of Queens on Thursday after video captured an ominous cloud swirling near John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The warning covered southern Queens, including JFK Airport, and southwestern Nassau County until 2 p.m. The alert came as a powerful nor’easter brought heavy rain to New York City, according to the National Weather Service.

Video obtained by Fox Weather showed stunned bystanders watching a dark, rotating cloud descend toward the horizon near the airport.

“Tornado, yeah, it’s a warning. Go down,” one man can be heard telling another person.

“That’s spinning…” he continued. “It’s over the water right now. It’s coming this way. That’s it, there ain’t no basement they’re gonna let you in here.”

There were no reports that the formation, known as a wall cloud, touched down on land, CBS News reported.

A flash flood warning also remained in effect for southern Queens until 6:15 p.m., while intense downpours and hail pounded parts of the borough.

Video from Far Rockaway showed showers of icy pellets striking a back porch during the storm Thursday afternoon, NBC New York reported.

Hail covers the front yard of a Howell, NJ, home during a storm on Nov. 12, 2026. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The strong low-pressure storm system made much of New York City bleary Thursday, with over 1.6 inches of rain reported in Central Park.

On Friday, the city could see another third of an inch to an inch of rain — and even a few possible snowflakes in the Bronx — before precipitation tapers off around the afternoon, according to WABC.

Cars navigate high water on Park Row in lower Manhattan at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Cars navigate high water on Park Row in lower Manhattan at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. William C Lopez/NY Post

After the storm passes through the region, colder air and “pretty gusty winds out of the northwest” are to settle behind it.

Overnight lows in the mid to high 30s are expected for the city and suburbs on Friday and Saturday, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Carl Erickson told The Post.

“This will bring some of the chilliest air so far this season behind the storm,” Erickson said.