Nor’easter soaks I-95 and brings first snow inland, a day after rare November tornado in Delaware

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather Published November 13, 2026

A nor’easter kept rain falling along the Interstate 95 corridor on Friday, November 13. It also brought what FOX Weather called the first significant snow of the season to the hills and mountains of the interior Northeast. On Thursday, the same storm produced thunderstorms, flash flooding and hail from Pennsylvania to New York, and a confirmed tornado in Delaware.

Forecasters expect the storm to move off the coast near Cape Cod on Friday and toward Canada’s Maritime provinces by Saturday morning. Colder air will follow, bringing below-average temperatures to much of the eastern United States this weekend.

Key facts

A rare November tornado in Delaware

The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, confirmed that a tornado touched down in New Castle County on Thursday afternoon. “We have confirmed that a tornado did occur in New Castle County earlier this afternoon,” the office posted, according to Delaware Public Media. A tornado warning covered the county from 1:15 to 1:45 p.m.

The tornado’s rating, wind speeds and path had not been released as of Thursday evening. An NWS survey team planned to assess the damage on Friday, FOX 29 reported.

Damage was concentrated around Newark and the Christiana area, between Wilmington and Newark. A hotel sign toppled onto two parked cars, and trees, fences and wires came down, CBS Philadelphia reported. In a nearby business park, cars were covered in mud and struck by signs and branches, KYW Newsradio reported.

ChristianaCare said its Newark campus had “some minor property damage.” The health system was checking its helicopters and helipad, but said hospital operations were not affected. No injuries had been reported.

Tornadoes are uncommon in Delaware in November. NOAA records show this was only the second time since 1950 that the state has had tornado activity in November, Delaware Public Media reported. The previous case was on November 16, 1989.

Hail, flash flooding and ground stops

Thursday’s storms reached well beyond Delaware. FOX Weather counted about 50 reports of severe weather. The Weather Network called severe thunderstorms in the New York City area rare for mid-November.

• New Jersey: The NWS was investigating a possible tornado in Burlington County, CBS Philadelphia reported. It had not confirmed one as of Thursday evening.
• New York City: The NWS issued a tornado warning for Queens, including JFK Airport, from 1:14 to 2 p.m., based on radar. No touchdown was reported. Flash flooding closed parts of the JFK Expressway and affected streets in Brooklyn and Queens, The Weather Channel and FOX Weather reported.
• Pennsylvania: Hail piled up on Route 352 in Parkside, Delaware County, stranding several drivers, ABC7 New York reported. No injuries were reported there. Trained spotters reported penny-size hail in King of Prussia.
• Air travel: Ground stops at JFK, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty and Boston Logan airports delayed hundreds of flights, FOX Weather reported.

JFK Airport recorded 3.32 inches (84 mm) of rain on Thursday, according to FOX Weather. An earlier FOX Weather report, on Thursday night, had given 3.04 inches (77 mm).

Friday: a wet, raw day along I-95

Rain continued from the Mid-Atlantic to New England on Friday, at times heavy. New York City could get another third of an inch to an inch (8 to 25 mm) of rain, ABC7 New York forecast, with highs around 40°F (4°C). The rain was expected to taper in the city during the afternoon.

Around Boston, rain was forecast to last into the evening, with gusts of 20 to 30 mph (32 to 48 km/h). FOX Weather warned that heavier bursts of rain could cause more airport delays and a slow commute.

Friday’s rain was not expected to cause widespread flash flooding, according to The Weather Channel. It also expected only minor coastal flooding at high tide. AccuWeather said astronomical tides were low, which limits the coastal flooding risk.

Snow in the interior

Away from the coast, colder air turned the rain to wet snow on high ground. The first heavy totals came on Thursday. Hartwick, New York, just south of Cooperstown, measured 12.5 inches (32 cm), and parts of central New York topped a foot, FOX Weather reported.

The heaviest snow on Friday was expected from the afternoon into Saturday morning, across upstate New York and southern Vermont and New Hampshire. Forecasts from FOX Weather called for:

• 3 to 5 inches (8 to 13 cm) in the higher terrain of the Catskills. ABC7 New York forecast less, 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 8 cm).
• 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 8 cm) in the Adirondacks and the Green and White Mountains, with more on the highest summits.
• Lighter amounts in valley cities such as Albany, Binghamton and Burlington, and no accumulation in Boston, New York City or other I-95 cities.

On Thursday, FOX Weather reported Winter Storm Warnings for the Adirondacks and the higher Green Mountains of Vermont.

AccuWeather said wet snow could reach intermediate elevations in western and central Massachusetts, western Connecticut and southern New Hampshire late Friday into Saturday. Heavy, wet snow could break tree limbs and cause isolated power outages at higher elevations.

Lake-effect snow also developed farther west. More than 6 inches (15 cm) fell in parts of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where a Winter Weather Advisory covered the Marquette area through Friday. FOX Weather said Valparaiso, Indiana, could see more than 5 inches (13 cm) if a snow band stayed in place.

A chilly weekend, and frost in the South

Most precipitation should end by Saturday morning, apart from snow showers in Maine, upstate New York and the central Appalachians, and lake-effect bands near the Great Lakes. Behind the storm, highs will stay in the 40s°F (4 to 9°C) across much of the Midwest and Northeast through the weekend, The Weather Channel said.

AccuWeather expects high temperatures 5 to 10°F (3 to 6°C) below average across the East from Friday to Sunday, the coldest of the season so far. In New York City, ABC7 forecast a “blustery and chilly” weekend with highs in the mid to upper 40s°F (7 to 9°C).

The cold will reach the South too. Frost and freeze alerts were posted for parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and northern Georgia through Saturday morning, with lows in the upper 20s to lower 30s°F (about -3 to 1°C). The first freeze of the season is possible as far south as much of the Carolinas and central Georgia and Alabama, The Weather Channel said.

What to watch

• Delaware tornado survey: NWS Mount Holly will publish its findings, including the tornado’s EF rating and path, in a public information statement.
• Snow in the interior: The heaviest snow is expected from Friday afternoon into Saturday morning. Drivers in the Catskills, Adirondacks, Berkshires and the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire should check NWS warnings before travel.
• Flights: Delays at Northeast airports may continue into Saturday morning, AccuWeather said. Check flight status with your airline.
• Frost and freeze: Gardeners in the South should protect tender plants by Friday night.

Official warnings come from the National Weather Service and local emergency managers, and they replace the forecasts quoted here.

Sources

• Delaware Public Media: NWS confirms tornado in New Castle County (Nov 12)
• CBS Philadelphia: NWS confirms tornado in New Castle County, Delaware (Nov 12)
• FOX 29: Tornado touches down in New Castle County (Nov 12)
• KYW Newsradio: Tornado touches down in Delaware as severe storms bring heavy hail (Nov 12)
• The Weather Channel: Tornadoes and flash flooding hit New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania (Nov 12)
• The Weather Network: Rare mid-November severe thunderstorms hit New York City area (Nov 12)
• FOX Weather: Nor’easter brings severe storms and first significant snow (Nov 11, updated Nov 12)
• FOX Weather: Nor’easter continues to slam I-95 corridor with heavy rain (Nov 13)
• The Weather Channel: Nor’easter forecast, first snow, frost and freeze (Nov 13)
• AccuWeather: Northeast storm bringing rain, high-elevation snow into Saturday (updated Nov 12)
• ABC7 New York: AccuWeather Alert live updates (Nov 12)