Waterspout damages Long Island beach club, state of emergency declared

A powerful waterspout moved ashore on Long Island on Thursday evening, tearing through a beach club and prompting a state of emergency in Nassau County as severe storms battered the region. The event, which occurred around 6:45 p.m. on August 20, 2026, caused significant property damage but resulted in no serious injuries.

The storm struck the Sun and Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach, where video footage showed a massive spout forming offshore before moving inland. According to Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the twister tore through shorefront structures, lifting roofs from beachside cabanas and scattering debris across the sand. The Inwood Fire Department reported that 30 one-story cabanas were either damaged or destroyed. Blakeman declared a state of emergency and activated the county's Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the response.

Witnesses described a sudden and violent transformation. Matthew Stark, 28, was at the Sun and Surf Beach Club with nine family members when the storm hit. They had huddled inside a wooden cabana for shelter when the tornado ripped off its roof. "As I was closing the door to the cabana, you heard and felt the whoosh of the gusts...