Photo On Social Media Leads To Speculation About Tornado Or Waterspout Off North Fork

NORTH FORK, NY — Social media was abuzz Tuesday as residents speculated whether a possible tornado or waterspout had been spotted off Mattituck.

A post on X showed the formation in the sky that got residents talking.

But, according to Bryan Ramsey, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Upton, what people saw was "probably just a scud cloud," or low-hanging cloud that's more vertical in shape, with no rotations. "That's what we are thinking, but we are still analyzing it," he said.

The NWS received the photo at about 1:37 a.m., taken over the bay in Mattituck.

Ramsey said Tuesday brought a few isolated showers across Long Island that are expected to continue this afternoon and evening, as well as into later this week.