On Long Island, a large tree fell onto the front yard of a home in East Williston, narrowly missing the house. And a sudden hailstorm sent firefighters scrambling for shelter inside a firehouse.
They are also cleaning up a big mess in Queens and New Jersey.
There was one storm-related death. A 41-year-old man fishing with his 10-year-old son in Lake Shore was struck by lightning. 41-year-old /*Sebastian Castillo*/ of East Rutherford died just before 2:30 p.m. this afternoon at Monmouth Medical Center
In Hillsdale, there are several road closures after rock and dirt spilled onto the streets. The soggy summer storm also buckled some roadways.
"It was frightening," Sister Claudia Bradshaw said. "Believe me."
In Queens, the dangerous and damaging storms trapped Bradshaw in her vehicle when the sudden downpour triggered a flash flood.
"When it hit us, it kind of pushed the car down," she said. "And the car went dead and started to float."
Juanita Rosario was stuck in the same flood water on Cooper Avenue near 74th Street in Glendale.
"I didn't realize it was so deep," she said. "And my car went through, and in the middle of the street, it started sinking."
Emergency crews and other motorists rescued the trapped drivers. No one was injured.
On Long Island, the downpour damaged homes with more than a foot of water.
The Santoro family in Carle Place had thousands of dollars in property damage. But it's a situation they've dealt with before.
People in the area say that every time there's a torrential downpour, water from nearby Mineola floods their community. And they say public officials have not dealt with the problem.
"We pay a lot of property taxes, so it should be taken care of," flood victim Joseph Lamantia said. "It should have been taken care of years ago."
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