US weather experts say a freak storm with two tornadoes was to blame for a trail of destruction across New York City that left one person dead.
More than 1,000 trees were uprooted and power was cut to hundreds of homes when the storm struck on Thursday.
The woman who died was in a car hit by a falling tree and had just switched seats with her husband, who survived.
It was the ninth time New York City has been hit by a tornado since 1950, and the second this year, officials said.
The US National Weather Service said on Friday that the tornadoes had been part of a fast-moving storm, along with a fierce microburst with speeds up to 125mph (200 km/h).
The storm travelled from Staten Island, across New York harbour and then carved a 14-mile (22km) path of destruction from Brooklyn to the Bayside neighbourhood in Queens.
New York City has suffered freak storms before. One in August last year toppled about 500 trees in Central Park, the New York Times reported.
-BBC |
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