Tornado in New York City

(CBS) NEW YORK What was thought to be a violently windy thunderstorm that plowed through Brooklyn Wednesday morning turned out to be a weather event of historical proportions.

The National Weather Service confirmed that the storm brought with it Brooklyn's first ever tornado since such weather events were recorded. Officials measured it to be an EF2 twister, characterized by winds of anywhere from 111 to 135 miles per hour.

Between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. a string of severe thunderstorms blew through the region, making for an incredible headache for morning commuters. Thousands of New Yorkers found themselves enduring hours of delays in the sweltering heat with subways shut down and vacant taxi cabs hard to come by.

A woman on Staten Island died in a car accident which officials say was a result of the horrible driving conditions. In Brooklyn, amazingly, only scattered minor injuries were reported.

Still, the tornado certainly rattled bones as well as bricks, especially in Bay Ridge.

That would have been something to see.

Now let's start a betting pool on how long it will take the loony left to blame global warming and Pres. Bush.

HOT!

Dangerous heat will grip a large part of the eastern half of the nation today. Along the rim of the early August sizzle, another round of drenching storms is in store for the central Plains and Great Lakes.

As evident by the numerous heat advisories and excessive heat warnings displayed on the Severe Weather Center's page, the heat will grip much of the East today. A large dome of high pressure is the culprit behind today's sizzle.

Temperatures will soar into the mid- to upper 90s this afternoon over the southern Plains, Ohio Valley and Southeast. Some southern places will crack the century mark and challenge record highs. According to the East Regional News story, the sweltering 90-degree heat will pour over the mid-Atlantic and parts of southern New England.

Though the heat will slowly ease out of the Northeast, no relief from the sizzling air is in store for the other regions through at least Friday.

Tell me about it!