Severe weather
Tornado warning for Queens until 2 PM ET: storm moving Rockaway Beach to JFK
By Ryan Hall, Y'all Weather Desk ยท Published
Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data.
Key points
- Where: Queens, from Rockaway Beach to JFK Airport. A second warning covers northern New Castle County, Delaware, from Stanton to Wilmington.
- When: The Queens warning runs from 1:14 PM to 2 PM Eastern. The Delaware warning runs from 1:13 PM to 1:45 PM Eastern.
- What: Radar shows rotation in the storm. The Queens storm was near Rockaway Beach at about 1:13 PM and was expected near JFK around 1:25 PM.
- What it means: A tornado and quarter-size hail are possible. Take cover now if you are in the warned area.
A tornado warning is in effect for Queens, New York, until 2 PM Eastern Thursday, Nov. 12, for a rotating thunderstorm moving northeast at 15 mph from Rockaway Beach toward JFK Airport. The storm can also produce quarter-size hail. It sits inside a Tornado Watch that runs until 7 PM Eastern, so more storms are possible this afternoon across the area.
What the Queens storm is doing
This warning is based on radar showing rotation inside the storm. It is not a confirmed tornado on the ground. A warning means the setup is there and you should act as if one could drop out of it.
The storm was moving northeast at 15 mph. It was forecast to pass near Rockaway Beach around 1:20 PM and reach Kennedy Airport around 1:25 PM. The warning remains in effect until 2 PM.
Quarter-size hail is possible with this storm.
Why storms are spinning here today
A strong disturbance is moving in aloft. At the surface, a low-pressure center is deepening over the Mid-Atlantic and is forecast to track east across New Jersey. Storms are forming near that low and along the warm front stretching east from it. Winds change speed and direction quickly with height there, and that is what lets a storm rotate.
There is not a lot of storm fuel. The Storm Prediction Center is showing modest instability, but the twisting winds are strong enough to support a few rotating storms. It has a Level 2 of 5 (Slight Risk) up for eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and northern Delaware, including Philadelphia, Camden and Wilmington. The area is small. New York City is in Level 1, the Marginal Risk. Hail is the main concern, and a tornado or two is possible. Tornado odds are 5% in the highest-risk zone.
Delaware has a warning too
A separate tornado warning covers northern New Castle County, Delaware, from Stanton to Wilmington, until 1:45 PM Eastern. It is also based on radar-indicated rotation. The same advice applies there. Anyone along the I-95 corridor in that area should be inside and away from windows.
What to do
- If you are in the warned area: Go to the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Pick an interior room, closet or hallway away from windows.
- In a high-rise: Move to an interior hallway, ideally below the top floors, and stay away from glass.
- At JFK: Follow airport and airline staff instructions. Check your flight status through the afternoon. Our airport delay outlook tracks them.
- On the road: Don't try to outrun the storm. Stop somewhere sturdy if you can, and don't shelter under an overpass.
- Cars: If you can, move them under cover to protect them from hail.
- After 2 PM: The warning is set to expire, but the watch stays up until 7 PM Eastern. Keep alerts on. You can follow every active warning live or sign up for free Y'all Alerts.
What's next
We don't know yet whether this storm will keep its rotation. That can change in minutes, which is why a warning can be extended or dropped before its end time. The broader severe threat is a small one centered on this afternoon. There are no severe storms in the outlook for Friday, Nov. 13, or Saturday, Nov. 14. You can check the severe storm outlooks for the days ahead.
Bottom line
A rotating storm with quarter-size hail is moving through Queens toward JFK, and the tornado warning runs until 2 PM Eastern. Take cover now, and keep your alerts on until the watch ends at 7 PM.
Explained: Watch vs. warning: what PDS watches and emergencies mean
More on Mid-Atlantic severe weather, November 2026
Places in this story: New York City, NY; Queens, NY