Tornado Watch In Effect for Brooklyn, Manhattan

The National Weather Center has issued a Tornado Watch for the tri-state area until 8p.m. tonight. 

New York counties that may be in the path of severe weather include Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan. 

Even if we don't get a tornado, we may get strong winds and possibly hail.

A reader wrote in to remind people that you have outdoor furniture or umbrellas, make sure they are secured. It's also a good idea to make sure you have batteries and flashlights on hand (or candles, but then be very careful of possibly starting a fire, which happens more than you think). Also if a storm comes, remember to close your windows.

If a tornado comes, the National Weather Service recommends you:

• In a home or building, move to a pre-designated shelter, such as a basement.
• If an underground shelter is not available, move to an interior room or hallway on the lowest floor and get under a sturdy piece of furniture.
• Stay away from windows.
• Get out of automobiles.
• Do not try to outrun a tornado in your car; instead, leave it immediately.
• Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes and should be abandoned.

This would be the second time a tornado has come through New York City in less than a year. In September, a woman died after a tree fell on her car about on the Grand Central Parkway near Jewel Avenue in Queens, according to the New York Times.

The storm also hit Park Slope and Bedford-Stuyvesant hard, downing many old trees, as well as Staten Island and Queens, hitting Middle Village, Forest Hills and Bayside particularly hard. More than 30,000 customers lost power during the storm, and there were partial building collapses on Fourth and Hamilton avenues in Brooklyn and in Roosevelt Avenue and on Yellowstone Boulevard in Queens, the Times reported.

For today's storm, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Richmond, Westchester and Rockland counties have also been put on watch. Check back with Patch for severe weather updates.