The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado hit Atlantic Beach on Long Island Thursday night. “Radar data, video of the waterspout coming ashore, and reports of damage in the vicinity of the Sun and Surf Beach club in Atlantic Beach allow confirmation of a tornado that touched down in this area,” the National Weather Service said in a statement Friday morning. It is the first confirmed tornado in Nassau County since 2021. The NWS said “there was another circulation about a mile further east, which may have generated a watersport moving toward the coast in the Atlantic Beach and Five Towns area in far southwestern Nassau County.” The NWS said there were no reports yet of damage associated with that waterspout. Damage from Thursday’s tornado and storms prompted a state of emergency in Nassau County. County Executive Bruce Blakeman discussed it at a news conference Friday morning. An apparent tornado or waterspout is seen near the Sun and Surf Club in Atlantic Beach, New York, on August 20, 2026. Daniel Novick “Yesterday, at approximately 7:11 p.m., a tornado touched down here in Atlantic at the Sun and Surf Beach Club,” Blakeman said at a news conference Friday morning. He said there was “extensive damage” but no serious injuries were reported. “Tornadoes form in an instant. And in this case, they started over the ocean, they made their way over land here in Atlantic Beach. And fortunately, there were no other tornadoes that emerged here in the region,” Blakeman said. Photos show extensive damage to beach clubs in the area, including Sun and Surf Beach Club. A tornado warning was issued for parts of the county between approximately 6:45 pm and 7 pm Thursday night. The Inwood Fire Department said about 50 cabins were damaged or destroyed, and only one minor injury was reported. That individual, who is an employee of the club, suffered a minor head injury and refused medical attention at the scene, firefighters said. Storm damage is seen at the Sun and Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach, New York, on August 21, 2026. WCBS Inwood Fire Chief Josiyah Green said no one was trapped in any of the cabins or had to be rescued. “The best thing I can say is luck,” he said. “Just luckily, a lot of people weren’t hurt here because this beach club is a very popular place during the summer.” The beach club, along with Silver Point, will be temporarily closed until further notice, club management said. Blakeman also said Thursday that first responders rescued people from vehicles trapped in flood waters. More from CBS News at:
