See it: Rare tornado touches down on New York's Long Island, damages local beach club
The FOX Forecast Center said only 41 tornadoes have hit Long Island since 1950.
Watch: Tornado lifts debris in Atlantic Beach, New York
Tornado lifts debris in Atlantic Beach, New York
LONG BEACH, N.Y. — A rare tornado touched down on Atlantic Beach, New York, on Long Island Thursday evening as a line of powerful thunderstorms blasted the region with torrential rain and flash flooding.
The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that an EF-1 tornado hit Atlantic Beach in southern Nassau County with a peak wind of 97 mph.
![Atlantic Beach tornado seen from Atlantic Beach, New York, on Aug. 20, 2026.]()
Image 1 of 2Atlantic Beach tornado seen from Atlantic Beach, New York, on Aug. 20, 2026. (docdondon/Instagram)
![Atlantic Beach Tornado on Aug. 20, 2026]()
Image 2 of 2Atlantic Beach Tornado on Aug. 20, 2026 (pokemonballers4/TikTok)
Video shot from the Rockaways in Queens showed a long funnel extending over the East Rockaway Inlet as a waterspout before roaring ashore in the Village of Atlantic Beach on Long Beach.
Video closer to the tornado showed debris being lifted into the air.
Watch: Rare tornado touches down on New York's Long Island
A rare tornado touched down on Long Beach, New York, on Long Island Thursday evening as a line of powerful thunderstorms blasted the region with torrential rain and flash flooding.
The Sun and Surf Beach Club said the twister destroyed numerous buildings and cabanas.
Atlantic Beach Tornado Report
(FOX Weather)
Nassau County officials said no one was seriously hurt.
This is the first tornado to hit Nassau County since 2021, according to the NWS.
Watch: Drone video shows tornado damage in Atlantic Beach, New York
Roofs were blown off buildings in and around the Sun and Surf Beach Club after a tornado ripped through part of Atlantic Beach on New York's Long Island.
The FOX Forecast Center said only 41 tornadoes have hit Long Island since 1950.