Remnants of Hurricane Beryl Brings Tornado Outbreak to New York State
Hurricane Beryl moved ashore over Texas earlier this week, bringing widespread destructive winds and flooding rains. But while the deadly storm is no longer considered a hurricane, the remnants of Beryl continue to move inland, with numerous tornadoes being reported across multiple states since Monday.
By Wednesday, Beryl's remains were being felt across parts of the Northeast, including New York state. The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for multiple counties in New York state by early afternoon.
ABC News says that 42 tornado warnings were issued across New York Wednesday, which is a record for the state for a 24-hour period. WSYR reports that the previous record was 41 during the May 31, 1998 severe weather outbreak.
Tornadoes Reported Across New York State
*** UPDATE: As of this writing, there have been seven confirmed tornado reports in New York July 10, according to the National Weather Service. ***
The Democrat & Chronicle reports that tornados have already been reported near East Aurora, as well as near Darien Lake State Park Wednesday afternoon. So far, there have been two confirmed tornadoes according to the Democrat & Chronicle, though that number could increase as the day progresses.
WIVB says that a third tornado was confirmed in Genesee County.
Storm chasers took to social media to post updates and videos of the storms.
See Also: Where in New York State Are You Most Likely To Be Hit By a Tornado?
The New York State Police posted some pictures of the storm damage on their Facebook page, as troopers provided help to the affected areas.
WGRZ TV shared video from a viewer of a tornado over Arkwright, New York.
LOOK: Counties with the most tornadoes in New York
Gallery Credit: Stacker
What's the Most Powerful Tornado to Ever Hit NY?
There have been three recorded F4s that have touched down in New York state, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.
The first happened on August 28, 1973 in Columbia County over mostly open land, before moving into Massachusetts. Another F4 first touched down near Erie, Pennsylvania May 31, 1985, and then moved over the state line into New York. This was part of deadly outbreak of tornadoes that hit NY, PA, OH, and Ontario that same day.
The third was a nearly mile-wide tornado that touched down in Montgomery County on July 10, 1989. The storm would stay on the ground for 42 miles, traveling four counties (Greene, Montgomery, Schoharie, and Albany Counties).
You also have to consider that many of these weather records generally only go back to the late 1800s, so there is no telling how many storms hit before those times.
Other Tornadoes of Note
- EF-2 July 8, 2014, in Madison County killed 4 people.
- EF-2 hit Brooklyn on August 8, 2007, causing heavy damage and would become the costliest tornado to ever hit New York City.
- An F3 that traveled through Mechanicville, Stillwater, and then on to Vermont on May 31, 1998. Also, an F3 went through Binghamton that same day.
- EF-2 Westchester County and Connecticut tornado July 6, 2006.
- EF-2 Brooklyn tornado September 16, 2010
- Two F3s - North of Syracuse May 2, 1983
- EF-3 tornado, August 7, 2023 that moved from West Leyden through Turin in Lewis County with winds reaching 140 MPH. ***