This photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Missy Lattanzie, an RV park resident, searches through her belongings that were destroyed after a tornado touched down Wednesday on Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, on Thursday, July 8, 2021 in Kings Bay, Ga. Severe weather from Tropical Storm Elsa spurred tornado warnings in Delaware and New Jersey early Friday as the system moved over the mid-Atlantic states and into the northeastern United States. (Mass Communication 3rd Class Aaron Xavier Saldana/U.S. Navy via AP)
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Fast-moving Tropical Storm Elsa hit the New York City region with torrential rains and high winds as it churned up the East Coast on Friday.
Maximum sustained winds from the storm peaked near 50 mph (85 kph) as it moved through New York City and Long Island, the National Hurricane Center said in an 8 a.m. update.
Wind speeds had ticked down from overnight readings as high as 78 mph (126 kph) in coastal New Jersey that appeared to be “associated with nearby tornadoes.” the center reported.
Heavy rains were causing potential traffic hazards in New York City and nearby suburbs, which were already reeling from a deluge Thursday that flooded roads and at least one subway station. Up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain was possible in some areas Friday.
The hurricane center said a tornado or two was possible through early afternoon Friday over parts of Long Island and southeastern New England.
The system was already blamed for one death in Florida on Wednesday. And Elsa also previously caused a damaging tornado in Georgia.
A tropical storm warning Friday morning stretched along parts of the East Coast from New Jersey to Massachusetts. Forecasters said Elsa was moving northeast at 31 mph (50 kph).
The hurricane center said rainfall totals between 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) were expected through Friday for eastern mid-Atlantic states and into New England. Isolated totals up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) were possible. There was a risk of considerable flash and urban flooding.
The tropical storm was expected to cross over the Northeast by the afternoon and move over Atlantic Canada by the night and Saturday. No significant change in strength was expected during the day, and Elsa is forecast to become a post-tropical cyclone by Friday night.
On Wednesday, nine people were injured in coastal Camden County, Georgia, when a tornado struck a campground for active-duty service members and military retirees. Eight of those hurt had to be taken to hospitals, Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base spokesperson Chris Tucker said.
The EF-2 tornado flipped over multiple RVs, throwing one of the overturned vehicles about 200 feet (61 meters) into a lake, the National Weather Service said in a preliminary report early Thursday after its employees surveyed the damage.
Authorities in Jacksonville, Florida, said one person was killed Wednesday when a tree fell and struck two cars. A spokesperson for the Naval Air Force Atlantic Office said Thursday that a sailor assigned to Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron 16 in Jacksonville was killed.
In South Carolina, a Coast Guard Air Station Savannah crew rescued a family that became stranded Wednesday on Otter Island after their boat drifted off the beach. The group was flown to a hospital in good health, a Coast Guard news release said.
The National Weather Service in Morehead City, North Carolina, tweeted that a tornado was spotted near Fairfield on Thursday afternoon.
Scattered power outages were being reported along Elsa’s path Friday morning, with about 24,000 homes and businesses without electricity from Delaware to Massachusetts, according to the website poweroutages.us.
Elsa is the earliest fifth-named storm on record, said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami.
Associated Press writers Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Florida; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida; contributed to this report.
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