Sunday storms disrupt events and holiday travel
NEW YORK (AP) -- Severe thunderstorms across the Northeast on Sunday slowed operations at airports, wreaked havoc at outdoor sporting and musical events and sent people scurrying from a beach after three men were struck by lightning.
The men were injured at Orchard Beach on Pelham Bay in the Bronx on Sunday evening as bad storms rolled through the area, the Fire Department of New York said. The men were being treated at a hospital, and the extent of their injuries was unknown.
Torrential rain, thunder and lightning interrupted Labor Day weekend celebrations in Philadelphia, where a parkway hosting a music concert was evacuated for safety reasons. Organizers of the Made in America festival warned people to move quickly and calmly to the exits and to protected areas outside the downtown festival site.
The National Weather Service said it had reports of wind damage and flash flooding in East Orange, New Jersey, and reports of large tree branches down on Long Island. It said most of the damage was reported between 4:20 p.m. and 5:15 p.m., when the storms were intense
At the Jersey Shore, the weather forced postponement of Sunday night's finals of the Big Joe Jersey Talent Show. They will be held tomorrow night, Monday, at 7 p.m. inside Jenkinson’s in Pt. Pleasant Beach.
There was also severe flooding near exit 148 of the Garden State Parkway, closing Exit 149, southbound, at Belleville Avenue and blocking the left and center lanes, northbound, between the Colonia rest area and Exit 150. News12 reported that one woman had to be rescued from her car.
The bad weather also forced the early end to the Electric Zoo musical festival on an island in New York's East River and halted play at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Queens.
Electric Zoo spokesman Stefan Friedman said "the safety and security of all attendees, artists and staff" was the primary concern as people were told to leave. The decision was made about six hours before the festival was scheduled to end on Randall's Island, where fans have to take ferries and shuttle buses.
Dozens of commercial flights into the city's airports were delayed because of the severe weather.
The Townsquare New Jersey news staff also contributed to this report.
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