Tornadoes in the U.S. state of New York are relatively rare, with roughly 10 tornadoes touching down every year since 1900, the year with the first ever recorded event in the state.[1]
The storm system that produced a large tornado in New York City on September 16, 2010
New York is located on the East Coast, which brings in cold air from the Atlantic Ocean. Warm air from the South can mix with this cold air, creating prime conditions for tornadic activity. This mainly happens in the months of March and April, but can happen in the later months, like November. Climate change is making tornadoes more common in New York due to the warm and cold air pushing more into the region that the state is located in.[2]
August 7, 1900 – A strong FU tornado struck areas around New Rochelle, snapping trees and destroying multiple well-built structures. The tornado was estimated to have caused $15,000 (1900 USD) in damages, and had an unknown amount of fatalities or injuries.[1] This is one of the first recorded tornadoes to hit New York.
July 16, 1904 – A large F3 tornado tracked through Westchester County, killing 2 people and injuring a further 6. Multiple structures were completely wiped off of their foundations, and the tornado caused $100,000 (1904 USD) in damages in the town of Chappaqua.[3]
May 9, 1961 – A strong F2 tornado hit Liberty,[4] damaging multiple resorts and destroying various other structures, including a house. The tornado caused an estimated $2.5 million (1961 USD) in damages, and injured 3-4 people.[5]
May 31, 1985 – A large F4 tornado touched down in Erie County in Pennsylvania, before crossing the Pennsylvania-New York state line into Chautauqua County. Over 50 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and a dump truck was thrown over a mile away.[8] No injuries were reported, and most of the damage was centered in Pennsylvania.[8] A brief F3 tornado tracked through areas near Jamestown, damaging and destroying various homes.[8] A brief F1 tornado touched down near Norfolk, causing little damage to crops and trees.[8]
July 10, 1989 – A weak F1 tornado touched down outside of Ogdensburg, causing minor damage and injuring one person.[9] A violent F4 tornado hit Ames, destroying multiple homes and slabbing a poorly-built farmhouse.[9] Other smaller structures were also destroyed.[9] The tornado caused an estimated $20,000,000 (1989 USD) in damages.[10] A brief F2 tornado hit areas near Carmel Hamlet, damaging condominiums and injuring 5 people.[9] Another brief but strong F2 tornado hit Moriches, damaging a trailer and injuring a person who was sheltering inside.[9]
November 16, 1989 – A small and brief F0 tornado touched down near Georgetown, causing little damage.[11] Another F0 tornado hit areas around Peekskill, causing minor damage to crops. A relatively brief F1 tornado tracked through Sullivan County, damaging trees and other small structures.[11] A weak but deadly F1 tornado hit Orange County, killing 9 people and injuring another 18.[11] The event has been widely referred to as the "East Coldenham Elementary School disaster", as all 9 fatalities occurred when a wall located in the cafeteria of the East Coldenham Elementary collapsed, killing 9 students who were eating lunch. The tornado has also been studied, and these studies have suggested that the tornado may have been a downburst.[12] A brief F0 tornado hit Long Lake, causing little to no damage.[11] 2 F1 tornadoes touched down in Saratoga County, causing minor damage to trees. An F0 tornado hit Buskirk, causing minor damage.[11]
June 2, 1998 – A strong multi-vortex F2 tornado tracked through Wyoming County, destroying several buildings and damaging multiple aircraft, including a helicopter.[13] The tornado also uprooted trees and downed power lines.[13] A brief F1 tornado hit Pitcher, damaging the roof of a house before lifting.[14] Another F1 tornado tracked through areas east of Pitcher, uprooting and snapping hundreds of trees.[15]
May 31, 1998 – A strong F3 tornado tracked through Saratoga and Rensselaer counties, damaging an estimated 350 homes and injuring 68 people. The tornado caused $70 million (1998 USD) before crossing the New York-Vermont state line, producing mainly F2 damage in Bennington County in Vermont.
September 7, 1998 – A derecho spawned an F2 tornado that hit Lynbrook, injuring 6 people and causing an estimated $1 million (1998 USD) in damages.[16] 3 other smaller tornadoes were reported to have touched down, but none were confirmed.[17] An F1 tornado tracked through Albany County, causing minor damage to structures and uprooting trees.[16] A brief F0 tornado touched down in the Davenport area, causing $150,000 (1998 USD) in damages but injuring nobody.[16] An F1 tornado hit Brocton, damaging a house and causing 2 injuries.[16] A long-tracked F3 tornado moved through Tioga, Broome and Delaware counties, damaging multiple structures.[16] A TV station was heavily damaged, and multiple homes were destroyed. Multiple people were injured, and the tornado caused an estimated $2 million (1998 USD) in damages. 2 tornadoes, an F2 and an F0, moved through Chenango County, uprooting trees and damaging barns.[16] An F2 tornado tracked through portions of Otsego County, inflicting minor damage to structures and uprooting trees.[16] A large multi-vortex F3 tornado hit Silver Lake, destroying mobile homes and denuding trees.[16] 3 people were injured, and the tornado caused $800,000 (1998 USD) in damages. An F2 tornado tracked through Rensselaer County, causing damage to trees and mobile homes before lifting.[16]
April 28, 2002 – A brief F0 tornado damaged multiple structures and homes near Springville.[18] A strong F2 tornado moved through Allegany County, destroying a house and damaging multiple barns.[19]
July 12, 2006 – A destructive and strong F2 tornado moved through Rockland and Westchester counties, destroying homes and barns. 6 people were injured, and the tornado caused an estimated $12.1 million (2006 USD) in damages.
August 8, 2007 – A strong F2 tornado tracked through New York City, damaging thousands of structures from Staten Island to Brooklyn. 9 people were injured and the tornado was estimated to have caused $20 million (2007 USD) in damages.
July 25, 2010 – A rare EF1 tornado hit The Bronx, damaging hundreds of buildings and uprooting trees.[20] 1 person was indirectly killed, and 7 were injured.[20] The tornado caused $150,000 (2010 USD) in damages, and was the second tornado ever recorded to hit The Bronx area.[20]
September 8, 2010 – A waterspout was observed off the coast of Queens, and it caused an unknown amount of damage. As it moved onshore, it developed into a high-end EF1 tornado, downing power lines and uprooting trees.[21]
September 16, 2010 – Two rare EF0 and EF1 tornadoes hit Brooklyn and Queens, damaging hundreds of buildings and killing 1 person.[22] Many trees that were uprooted by the tornadoes landed on vehicles, indirectly injuring multiple people.[22]
April 27, 2011 – An EF1 tornado tracked through Steuben County, damaging multiple homes and uprooting hundreds of trees.[23] An EF2 tornado touched down near Erin, damaging multiple homes and destroying several small structures.[24] An EF1 tornado moved through Tompkins County, destroying an outbuilding and damaging homes.[23] A strong EF2 tornado hit Pharsalia, destroying a mobile home and downing hundreds of trees.[23] 2 EF1 tornadoes moved through Chenango County, damaging several houses but injuring nobody.[23] An EF1 tornado hit Frankfort, damaging small structures and downing power lines before lifting.[23]
July 10, 2024 – Part of the Hurricane Beryl tornado outbreak. EF2 reported near Eden in Erie County, with EF1 and EF0s in other locations in western New York. Outside of western New York, an EF0 was reported near Forestport in Oneida County.
July 16, 2024 – A high-end EF2 tornado passed through Rome, causing widespread property damage.[25][7] EF1 tornados struck Lee north of Rome and Canastota west of Rome, killing one. Several other EF1 and EF0 tornados were reported to the east of Rome through the Adirondacks towards Lake George.[26][27]
August 5, 2024 - An EF-1 tornado hit downtown Buffalo. Starting as a waterspout on Lake Erie it entered the City’s Lower West Side and downtown area just before 1 p.m. “The tornado began at the shore of the Niagara River near the south end of LaSalle Park and the I-190/Niagara Street interchange. It continued inland for 1.4 miles, stretching to a width of 300 yards as it moved across Niagara Street and the Theatre District. The final damage was seen at the intersection of Tupper and Oak streets near the Rt. 33 off-ramp, where two cars were overturned and minor roof damage was visible… The Ellicott Center nursing facility on Carolina Street sustained damage in the storm, and staff said 24 of 120 residents were safely relocated within the confines of the facility. City Hall and Hutchinson Central Technical High School also had minor damage from the storm. The roof was blown off of a three-story building on Niagara Street. According to Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo, the roof landed near 62 and 66 Whitney Place, almost two blocks away.”[28]
^ ab"New York Event Report: F2 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service in Buffalo, New York. 1998. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
^"New York Event Report: F1 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service in Binghamton, New York. 1998. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
^"New York Event Report: F1 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service in Binghamton, New York. 1998. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
