Tornado Touches Down In Parts Of New York State [VIDEO]

The record-setting heat wave across New York state and the northeast has lead to scattered severe thunderstorms over the past couple of days across the area.

The hot and extremely humid weather has helped fuel the storms, bringing reports of hail and strong damaging winds to parts of western and central New York. A rare tornado was reported touching down in New York Saturday.

See Also: Experts Say This Summer In Hudson Valley & New York State the "Hottest Ever"?

According to records, the state as a whole averaged around 10 tornadoes a year from 1990 to 2010. The Democrat & Chronicle says that there were 10 tornadoes in New York state in 2023, eight of which occurred August 7 during a severe weather outbreak.

Tornado Reported In New York State 

WKTV reports that a brief tornado touched down near West Winfield, New York late Saturday morning. Meteorologists say the National Weather Service will investigate any damage to the area to determine how strong the twister was.

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. ***