The jury is still out, the Weather Service is mulling it over, but the storm we had here tonight has a lot of the signs of a tornado...

A brief but fierce storm roared through New York City on Thursday evening, throwing down trees like sticks, crippling debris-strewn neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, disrupting commuter rail service and killing at least one person.

The storm and its aftereffects bore many of the hallmarks of a tornado, with the tops of countless trees sheared off and roofs blown off houses, but National Weather Service officials were still analyzing data to determine whether it should be classified as one.

The fast-moving storm, with winds estimated at 60 to 80 miles an hour, caused widespread damage. There were numerous reports of small fires, power failures and damage to homes, stores and vehicles.
It was pretty interesting. During the storm, one very loud nearby lightning strike echoed for half a minute. This was more like a spring storm than what we usually get at this time of year. I guess the seasons are changing quickly...

Pictures here.

Story here.