MANHATTAN – The Upper East Side was pelted with coin-sized hail from severe thunderstorm swept across the New York City— catching residents off-guard as the skies over Manhattan blackened around 2:00 pm Saturday afternoon, as the intense, fast-moving storm approached.
Videos shot by Upper East Siders and submitted to us show the dangerous conditions on the streets— with waves of driving rain and the sound of hail pounding into windows as it fell from the sky.
In one nerve-racking video shot from an 8th floor balcony in the East 80’s, the intensity of the winds sound deafeningly loud— the National Weather Service forecast said gusts would reach up to 50 miles per hour in Manhattan.
Yorkville, Carnegie Hill and Lenox Hill all reported being hammered by hail brought on by a cold front Saturday afternoon.
One brave smoker was seen huddled in an alcove along a building– their cigarette in one hand a phone in the other, unfazed by the severe thunderstorm that surprised many Upper East Siders.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued by the National Weather Service just before 12:30 pm Saturday afternoon and expired two hours later at 2:30 pm when the storm passed. A Severe thunderstorm Watch is still in effect through 7:00 pm.
Meteorologists say conditions in the city will get better — but the winds will stay blustery overnight. Temperatures are expected to plummet from the mid 40’s to high 30’s by Sunday morning.
For updates around the clock, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
