Tornado seen in Atlantic Beach, NY? Videos from Sun and Surf Beach Club near Long Island go viral

Users sharing the videos claim they were filmed at the Sun and Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach, New York, on Thursday evening.

Videos appearing to show a possible waterspout or tornado have gone viral on social media.

Videos appearing to show a possible waterspout or tornado have gone viral on social media. (UnSplash)

Users sharing the videos claim they were filmed at the Sun and Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach, New York, on Thursday evening. The location is near Long Island and was close to areas under a tornado warning at the time.

Some social media users have also claimed that the beach club sustained tornado damage. However, these claims have not been confirmed by authorities or the beach club, and HT.com could not independently verify them.

At around 6:45 p.m. EDT, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of Queens County and Nassau County until 7:15 p.m.

New York City Emergency Management urged residents in the affected areas to take shelter immediately.

"The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning for all or part of New York City. Immediately go indoors and/or to the lowest floor of your building for shelter. Stay away from windows," the agency said.

"During a tornado warning, be prepared to potentially lose power. Charge cell phone batteries, gather supplies, and turn refrigerators and freezers to a colder setting. Always stay clear of downed power lines. If you are affected by the outage, turn off all appliances, avoid downed and hanging power lines, and keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to prevent food spoilage. Do not use generators indoors. If you lose power and have a disability or access needs, or use Life Sustaining Equipment (LSE) and need immediate assistance, please dial 9‑1‑1. For more information, visit www.weather.gov/nyc."

The warning came as severe storms brought heavy rain and strong winds across the region Thursday evening.

Flooding reported across NYC

Several parts of New York City saw flooding as the storms moved through.

A video circulating on social media appeared to show rainwater pouring onto a subway platform at Penn Station as heavy rain hit the city. Heavy rain was also reported in Chelsea, Manhattan, and around the Clearview Expressway in Bayside, Queens.

NYC's official emergency notification system issued an alert, saying, "Localized flooding reported in parts of NYC. Don't enter flooded roads or buildings. Stay out of flooded basements. Move to higher ground/floor if needed. Call 911 if you need immediate assistance. Avoid unnecessary travel."

The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway was closed in both directions at Queens Boulevard in Queens. The Long Island Expressway was also closed in both directions at Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens. Drivers were advised to use alternate routes.