Severe storms, at least 4 tornadoes hit New York State

Severe storms and at least four tornadoes hit New York state on July 17, 2024, causing significant destruction, killing at least one person, and leaving over 110 000 homes without power.

NBC affiliate WPTZ of Plattsburgh used radar imagery to confirm tornado touchdowns in Rome, 27 km (17 miles) northwest of Utica, as well as two in Hamilton County and one in Warren County to the east.

Authorities confirmed that one person died in the village of Canastota in Madison County, west of Rome. More than 110 000 customers were without power across New York on July 17 morning.

Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency across the state on July 16. She stated that central New York, Mohawk Valley, and the Southern Tier had been hardest hit. Governor Hochul spoke with both the mayor of Rome, Jeffrey Lanigan, and Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr.

Lanigan remarked at a news conference, “It looks like a war zone.” More storms and heavy rain were forecast for July 17, and a local state of emergency was in effect for Canastota and Lenox until 08:00 on July 17. One street in Canastota is under a mandatory evacuation order.

A team from the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Binghamton was to inspect the Rome and surrounding areas on July 17.

Winds of almost 129 km/h (80 mph) were strong enough in Rome to overturn vehicles, smash windshields, destroy the roof and tower of a church, and move a huge B-52 bomber several feet off its platform outside the entrance of the decommissioned Griffiss Air Force Base.

The extreme weather in the internal Northeast came 24 hours after the Midwest was also hit by storms and multiple tornadoes.

The NWS issued 16 tornado warnings, the most in a day since 2004. It was confirmed on July 16, that a woman died as a result of storms in Indiana. Laura Nagel, 44, was killed in Cedar Lake after a tree fell on a home during the storm, the Lake County coroner’s office said.

The community of 3 000 in Nashville, Illinois, was inundated with water on July 16, when a dam was breached, placing 300 homes under evacuation orders.

The NWS reported that the area had been hit by 127 – 178 mm (5 – 7 inches) of rain over eight hours.

Wind, rain, and funnel clouds have ripped through parts of western and central New York for the second straight week, most recently impacting Canandaigua in Ontario County and Rome in Oneida County.

The NWS on the night of July 17 confirmed that a second tornado touched down in the Rochester region on July 15, amidst severe thunderstorms that ripped through the area.

The twister touched down in Pavilion, Genesee County, and was an EF-0 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with peak wind speeds of 137 kmh (85 mph). It touched down at 15:50 and was on the ground for two minutes, traveling 1.2 km (0.75 miles). The tornado had a width of 68.5 m (224.73 feet).

The tornado damaged numerous trees, snapping trunks and branches, and uprooted several others. There was no reported damage to buildings, and no injuries or fatalities were reported.

The NWS officially determined that an EF-2 tornado touched down on July 16, in Rome, Oneida County, with peak winds of 217 kmh (135 mph).

The twister touched down at 15:25 and was on the ground for 10 minutes, traveling 8.4 km (5.25 miles). The tornado had a path width of 274 m (899 feet).

No injuries or fatalities were reported. A strong rotation caused the funnel to touch down between the Erie Canal and Muck Road and travel northeast, directly through the City of Rome, before lifting near Griffiss International Airport.

The tornado heavily damaged two churches, ripping off roofs and steeples, and causing exterior brick and concrete walls to collapse. It crushed multiple vehicles, uprooted or snapped branches on hundreds of trees, and caused blown-out garage doors or windows.

Cleanup is expected to take weeks, according to Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente.

According to National Grid, more than 20 700 customers in Oneida County remained without power following the severe storm on July 16.

Roughly half of those customers are located within the City of Rome, according to the utility company. Statewide, more than 75 000 National Grid customers were without power on July 17 morning.

Authorities issued a “no unnecessary travel” order for Rome and the surrounding communities.

¹ Public Information Statement – NWS – July 17, 2024

² Tornado, storms ravage Rome and Canandaigua in upstate NY. – D&C -July 18, 2024

³ One dead as storms cause devastation and leave thousands without power in upstate New York – NBC – July 17, 2024

Rishav Kothari

I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.

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