Severe thunderstorm warning issued for Suffolk County, storm brings hail and heavy rain

Suffolk County faced the sharpest risk Friday evening as a strong thunderstorm moved over Stony Brook and headed east at 30 mph, bringing wind gusts up to 40 mph, nickel-sized hail and heavy rain that could down branches, knock out power and make roads hazardous before 9 p.m. Residents were urged to seek shelter immediately.

The National Weather Service in New York said strong to severe thunderstorms were possible late Saturday into the evening, with damaging winds and heavy rainfall among the main threats. By 5:45 p.m., Doppler radar was tracking the cell over Stony Brook, one of the most specific local signs that the storm threat had moved from forecast to immediate concern for eastern Long Island.

A severe thunderstorm warning covered Nassau and Suffolk counties until 9 p.m., while the Storm Prediction Center’s Severe Thunderstorm Watch 281 kept a broader swath of the region under watch until 10 p.m. That included Nassau County, Suffolk County, New York City’s boroughs and nearby parts of the metropolitan area, a signal that the same weather pattern was capable of producing damaging conditions well beyond a single neighborhood.

Earlier on June 6, the Weather Service’s hazardous weather outlook and area forecast discussion had both warned that the setup could bring strong to severe thunderstorms to southeast New York, including Long Island. The agency said the main hazards were damaging winds and heavy rainfall, a combination that can quickly turn minor street flooding into a bigger problem on low-lying roads and leave commuters dealing with tree damage, dark intersections and delays across Suffolk and Nassau.

The warning came with recent local precedent. The Weather Service’s significant weather archive lists severe thunderstorms and flash flooding in New York City on May 20, a reminder that warm-season storms in the region can move quickly and overwhelm drainage just as fast. By Friday evening, the immediate message was simple: get inside, stay off the roads if possible and wait for the storm to pass.