Tsunamis, Tornadoes Raged in New York, New Jersey From Storm

(Bloomberg) -- Manhattan may be drizzly and cool Wednesday, but it was a different story Tuesday when thunderstorms ripped across the Northeast killing at least three, stranding thousands of commuters in Grand Central Station and even touching off a “meteotsunami” along the New Jersey coast, the National Weather Service said.

The storms led to a reported tornado in New York’s Sullivan County, and probably many others across the Northeast and New England. Weather Service meteorologists are in the field assessing damage and interviewing witnesses, said Brian Furgis, a forecaster in Albany.

At the height of the storm, thousands were without power and many others were stranded when the Metro-North Railroad suspended operations citing downed trees on the tracks. Hundreds of reports of downed power lines, crushed cars and damaged homes came into the U.S. Storm Prediction Center, in Norman, Oklahoma.

When the wall of thunderstorms passed out to sea, it triggered a “meteotsunami,” as the ocean in front of Atlantic City dropped 1.5 feet only to rise 6 feet (1.8 meters) within 30 minutes, said Sarah Johnson, a Weather Service meteorologist in Mt. Holly, New Jersey. These weather-triggered tsunamis are smaller than those caused by earthquakes and have happened in New Jersey before.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at bsullivan10@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Doan at ldoan6@bloomberg.net, Will Wade, Joe Richter

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