# Tornado warning for Queens until 2 PM ET Thursday as storm moves from Rockaway Beach toward JFK Published November 12, 2026, 1:32 PM ET By Ryan Hall, Y'all Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data. A tornado warning is in effect for Queens, New York City, until 2 PM ET Thursday, Nov. 12, for a storm with radar-indicated rotation. It was over Rockaway Beach at 1:13 PM moving northeast at 15 mph toward Kennedy Airport. The wider setup is a Level 2 of 5 risk for eastern Pennsylvania and central New Jersey. No severe storms are expected Friday, Nov. 13, or Saturday, Nov. 14. ## Key points - **Where:** Queens, from Rockaway Beach northeast toward Kennedy Airport. - **When:** The warning was issued at 1:14 PM ET and runs until 2 PM ET Thursday. - **What:** One storm with rotation on radar, moving northeast at 15 mph. - **What it means:** Take the warning seriously and move indoors now. The warning runs until 2 PM ET. ![Rockaway Beach under the Queens tornado warning (photo by courtesy of TheSurfersView.com)](https://public.yallsoft.app/rhy/blog/images/2026-11-12-news-newsroom-kit-3280e74272-1834.png) A tornado warning is in effect for Queens in New York City until 2 PM ET Thursday, Nov. 12. At 1:13 PM ET, a storm with radar-indicated rotation was over Rockaway Beach, moving northeast at 15 mph, and it was expected to reach Kennedy Airport around 1:25 PM. Radar-indicated means the storm is spinning in a way that can produce a tornado. Nothing we have says a tornado has been confirmed on the ground. ## The storm over Rockaway Beach ![Rockaway Beach under the Queens tornado warning (photo by courtesy of TheSurfersView.com)](https://public.yallsoft.app/rhy/blog/images/2026-11-12-news-newsroom-94737533-0-1824.png "Rockaway Beach under the Queens tornado warning. Issued 1:24 PM ET Thursday. Ryan Hall, Y'all") The video above shows Rockaway Beach under the warning. It is courtesy of TheSurfersView.com. The storm was over the peninsula at 1:13 PM ET and moving northeast, with Kennedy Airport expected to be affected around 1:25 PM ET. The warning is based on radar-indicated rotation, so it covers the chance of a tornado, not a confirmed tornado. At 15 mph, the storm covers a mile every four minutes. The warning runs until 2 PM ET. Until the warning expires, treat it as live. ## Why a tornado warning in November A disturbance aloft is moving into the region, and a low-pressure center is expected to track east across New Jersey this afternoon. Along the warm front near that low, the air is unstable enough to build storms, and the winds change speed and direction with height. That change is what gets storms to rotate. The storm fuel is modest, at about 500 to 900 J/kg of MLCAPE, but modest fuel and strong spin can still make a storm that rotates. The Storm Prediction Center has Level 2 of 5 (Slight Risk) up for a small area of eastern Pennsylvania, central New Jersey and northern Delaware. That includes Philadelphia, Camden and Wilmington. The chance of a tornado within 25 miles of any point there is 5 percent. Hail is the main concern, with a 15 percent chance of hail 1 inch or larger. New York City and Newark sit in Level 1 (Marginal Risk), which is why this warning is the exception and not the rule. A separate Tornado Watch covers the Philadelphia and central New Jersey area. Queens is not part of that watch, but it has its own tornado warning. ## What to do - **Get inside now.** If you are in Queens, go to the lowest floor of a sturdy building, in an interior room away from windows. - **Leave the beach and the boardwalk.** Don't wait to see what the storm does. - **At or near JFK,** follow airport and airline instructions. Our [airport delay outlook](/airports) has the bigger picture. - **Heavy rain is possible too.** Flash flooding is a Level 1 of 4 (Marginal) risk across New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Don't drive through water over the road. - **Keep checking.** Our live [warnings page](/warnings) shows every active warning, and [Y'all Alerts](/alerts) are free if you want a heads-up on your phone. ## How sure we are The warning is in effect until 2 PM ET. The warning is based on radar-indicated rotation, and nothing we have confirms a tornado on the ground. For the wider setup, our [severe outlook](/severe) tracks the Level 2 risk today. ## What's next No severe storms are expected Friday, Nov. 13, or Saturday, Nov. 14. A Marginal risk of winter weather impacts covers parts of the interior Northeast Friday. ## Bottom line At 1:13 PM ET, a storm with radar-indicated rotation was over Rockaway Beach and moving northeast toward Kennedy Airport, and the Queens tornado warning runs until 2 PM ET Thursday. Go inside, away from windows, until it expires. Explained: [Watch vs. warning: what PDS watches and emergencies mean](https://ryanhallyall.com/news/watch-vs-warning-and-what-a-pds-watch-or-emergency-means) More on: [Northeast severe weather, November 2026](https://ryanhallyall.com/news/topic/northeast-severe-weather-november-2026) Places in this story: New York City, NY; Queens, NY --- Canonical: https://ryanhallyall.com/news/tornado-warning-for-queens-until-2-pm-et-thursday-as-storm-moves-from-rockaway-beach-towar From Ryan Hall, Y'all (https://ryanhallyall.com). Always follow official warnings from the National Weather Service.