Powerful storms roll through region, bringing damaging winds, heavy rain

NEW YORK - A line of powerful thunderstorms roared across the Northeast U.S. on Thursday, dumping sheets of rain on New York City, although only a handful of power outages were reported in Queens in Westchester. 

However, in Connecticut, the storms left behind a trail of downed trees and power lines. More than 20,000 customers in the state are without power.

WBNG News 12 reported that the NWS is investigating if a tornado touched down in Delaware County, New York. However, the county's Emergency Services Department had no evidence of that.

"The road has been driven by our staff, and we have spoken to local citizens in that area as well as some fire chiefs and highway crews and there is nothing to report," the department posted on Facebook. "Nobody saw anything that looked like a tornado or has any damages from a possible tornado."

The storms dumped nearly half an inch of rain in New York City, and almost three-quarters of an inch of rain fell in some of the city's northern suburbs.

Severe thunderstorms Thursday afternoon into the evening threatened to bring large hail, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes to the eastern Catskills, Mid-Hudson Valley, southern and central Taconics, and northwestern Connecticut, according to the NWS Storm Prediction Center.

If a Tornado Warning is in effect, NWS urges people to: "Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris."

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