PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NEW YORK 921 PM EDT MON JUN 1 1998 ...TORNADO REPORTS...UPDATED GROUND AND AIR SURVEY TEAMS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BINGHAMTON HAVE CONFIRMED THE FOLLOWING TORNADOES OCCURED ON MAY 31ST: IN NEW YORK... TIOGA TO BROOME TO DELAWARE COUNTY ---------------------------------- A LONG TRACK TORNADO FROM APALACHIN IN TIOGA COUNTY ACROSS SOUTHERN BROOME COUNTY TO DOWNSVILLE AND THE PEPACTON RESEVOIR BETWEEN AROUND 540 AND 740 PM. INTIENSITIES ARE AS FOLLOWS: APALACHIN F0 VESTAL F1 BINGHAMTON TOWNSHIP THROUGH CONKLIN F2 KIRKWOOD THROUGH WINDSOR F0 (DAMAGE SPOTTY) SANFORD AND DEPOSIT F3 TOMPKINS TOWNSHIP F0 COLCHESTER TOWNSHIP F1 TOTAL PATH LENGTH: APPROXIMATELY 63 MILES PATH WIDTH: VARIABLE FROM 50 YD TO 1/4 MI THERE WERE 12 INJURIES IN BROOME COUNTY MORE DETAILS WILL BE FORTHCOMING OTSEGO COUNTY --------------- MARYLAND AROUND 410 PM INTENSITY: F0 PATH LENGTH: 3/4 MILES PATH WIDTH: 30 YARDS OTSEGO COUNTY ------------- LAURENS TO MILFORD AROUND 630 PM INTENSITY: F2 PATH LENGTH 5 MILES PATH WIDTH 1/4 TO 1/2 MILES CHENANGO COUNTY --------------- PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP AT THE PLYMOUTH RESEVOIR AROUND 550 PM INTENSITY: F2 PATH LENGTH: 1 MILE PATH WIDTH: 1/4 MILE CHENANGO COUNTY --------------- 1/2 MILE EAST OF NORWICH AROUND 600 PM INTENSITY: F0 PATH LENGTH: 1/2 MI IN PENNSYLVANIA... PIKE COUNTY ----------- PROMISED LAND INCLUDING PROMISED LAND STATE FOREST AROUND 730 PM INTENSITY: F2 PATH LENGTH: 2 MILES PATH WIDTH: UP TO 3/10 MILE THIS IS THE FIRST TORNADO CONFIRMED IN PIKE COUNTY SINCE DETAILED TORNADO RECORDS BEGAN IN 1950. PIKE COUNTY ----------- DELAWARE TOWNSHIP AROUND 800 PM INTENSITY: F0 PATH LENGTH: UNKNOWN PIKE COUNTY ----------- BLOOMING GROVE AROUND 820 PM INTENSITY: F2 PATH LENGTH: 3 MILES PATH WIDTH: 200 YARDS PIKE COUNTY ----------- GREENTOWN AROUND 940 PM INTENSITY: GREENTOWN F0 PATH LENGTH: UNKNOWN WYOMING COUNTY -------------- BEAUMONT IN MONROE TOWNSHIP AROUND 915 PM INTENSITY: F1 PATH LENGTH: 1/2 MILE PATH WIDTH: 50 YARDS ADDITIONAL DAMAGE SURVEYS WILL BE DONE ON TUESDAY. SPECIAL THANKS TO THE CIVIL AIR PATROL...AND ALL OF THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...MEDIA AND ESPECIALLY SKYWARN SPOTTERS FOR THIER INVALUABLE ASSISTANCE. WALDSTREICHER
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 645 PM EDT MON JUN 1 1998 ...F0 TO F3 TORNADO CARVED A 60 MILE LONG PATH... ...FROM TIOGA TO DELAWARE COUNTIES... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVED FROM STEUBEN COUNTY OF NEW YORK INTO TIOGA COUNTY WHERE IT INTENSIFIED ENOUGH TO SPAWN TORNADOS SUNDAY EVENING. A NARROW 60 MILE LONG PATH WAS CARVED FROM APALACHIN IN TIOGA COUNTY THROUGH THE TOWN OF BINGHAMTON IN BROOME COUNTY AND ONTO DEPOSIT IN DELAWARE COUNTY. DAMAGE PRODUCED BY A WEAK TORNADO ACROSS APALACHIN INTO VESTAL WAS CLASSIFIED AS AN F0 ON THE FUJITA SCALE. THE SMALL TORNADO PRODUCED WINDS BETWEEN 40 AND 72 MPH. DAMAGE RANGED FROM LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN TO TREE TOPS SNAPPED OFF OVER THE HILLTOPS. THE DAMAGE PATH WAS ABOUT 200 FEET WIDE AT THIS POINT. AS THE STORM MOVED INTO THE CONKLIN AND BINGHAMTON AREA...THE TORNADO INTENSIFIED AND REACHED A CATEGORY F2 PRODUCING WINDS BETWEEN 113 AND 157 MPH. A TELEVISION STATION ON INGRAHAM HILL SUSTAINED MAJOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. A 1000 FOOT TELEVISION TOWER WAS TWISTED AND TOPPLED TO THE GROUND. A LARGE TRASH DUMPSTER WAS ALSO LIFTED OFF THE GROUND TOSSED INTO TWO SATELLITE DISHES AND THEN TOSSED ABOUT 100 YARDS OVER AN EMBANKMENT. A SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE WAS ROLLED OVER SEVERAL TIMES AS WITNESSED BY A TELEVISION CREW MEMBER. ANOTHER AUTOMOBILE WAS ALSO MOVED AND A THREE QUARTER INCH VIDEO TAPE WAS CARRIED ONE AND ONE HALF MILES AWAY FROM THE TELEVISION STATION. THE DAMAGE PATH AT THIS POINT WAS ABOUT 100 YARDS WIDE. THE TORNADO WEAKENED AND LIFTED FOR A SHORT PERIOD AND CROSSED OVER WINSOR IN BROOME COUNTY. THERE WERE A FEW PLACES WHERE BRIEF TOUCH DOWNS WERE NOTICED. IN THIS AREA DAMAGE OCCURED FROM A WEAK F0 TORNADO AND CONSISTED OF TREE TOPS SNAPPED AND/OR TWISTED. THE PATH WAS ABOUT 100 FEET WIDE. THE STORM REINTENSIFIED AND THE TORNADO INCREASED TO AN F3 INTENSITY PRODUCING WINDS BETWEEN 158 AND 206 MPH OVER THE DEPOSIT AREA IN DELAWARE COUNTY. THE PATH WAS CONSISTENT IN DIRECTION BUT ONCE AGAIN SKIPPED ALONG THE HILLTOPS WITH OCCASIONAL TOUCH DOWNS INTO THE VALLEY FLOORS. THE GREATEST DAMAGE OCCURRED IN THIS AREA WHERE A HOUSE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THE ONLY PART OF THE STRUCTURE THAT REMAINED STANDING APPEARED TO BE A SMALL INTERIOR CLOSET. THE OCCUPANTS OF THE HOUSE DESCRIBED THE NOISE AS A FREIGHT TRAIN AS THE TORNADO APPROACHED. THE PATH OF THE STORM AT THIS POINT WAS ABOUT 200 YARDS WIDE. FINALLY...THE STORM WEAKENED AND LITTLE IN THE WAY OF DAMAGE COULD BE FOUND EAST OF DEPOSIT. LOMBARDY
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY 545 PM EDT MON JUN 1 1998 ON SUNDAY MAY 31ST A MAJOR SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK OCCURRED ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL NEW YORK PRODUCING AN EXTRAORDINARY NUMBER OF SEVERE STORMS ACROSS THE REGION. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW INJURIES AND WIDESPREAD PROPERTY DAMAGE...NO FATALITIES WERE REPORTED IN WESTERN NEW YORK. DURING A 14-HOUR PERIOD FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY EVENING NO FEWER THAN 40 SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS...INCLUDING 3 TORNADO WARNINGS....WERE ISSUED ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK BY THE BUFFALO WEATHER OFFICE. THE STORMS WERE PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS BECAUSE OF THE SPEED THAT THEY WERE MOVING ACROSS THE REGION...SOMETIMES IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. AT SUCH FAST MOVEMENT ALONG THE GROUND...IT LEFT VERY LITTLE TIME FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE COVER. MOST OF THE DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS OCCURRED FROM A COMBINATION OF HIGH WINDS AND HAIL. THERE WERE REPORTS OF NUMEROUS TREES AND WIRES DOWN AS WELL AS POWER OUTAGES. THUNDERSTORM WINDS WERE CLOCKED AS HIGH AS 65 MPH FROM THE BUFFALO COAST GUARD...AND DAMAGE PATTERNS SUGGEST WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH IN MANY LOCATIONS WHERE THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED. A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN BROCTON IN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY INJURING TWO PERSONS. A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF HAIL WAS ALSO REPORTED. IN THE TOWNS OF LANCASTER...CHEEKTOWAGA AND NIAGARA FALLS HAIL OF 1.75 INCHES DIAMETER WAS REPORTED...THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS. 1.0 INCH DIAMETER HAIL WAS ALSO REPORTED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TIER INCLUDING THE CITIES OF SALAMANCA AND JAMESTOWN. IRONICALLY...SUNDAYS SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK OCCURRED ON THE EXACT SAME DATE AS ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS ACROSS THIS REGION SOME YEARS AGO. ON MAY 31ST 1985 AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE WEATHER PRODUCED WIDESPREAD AND SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE IN WESTERN NEW YORK. IN THE NEIGHBORING AREAS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND SOUTHERN ONTARIO HOWEVER...AS MANY AS EIGHTY FATALITIES OCCURRED FROM KILLER TORNADOES.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA 650 PM EDT MON JUN 1 1998 ...SALISBURY TORNADO CONFIRMED...F3 INTENSITY... A DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN STATE COLLEGE CONFIRMED THAT A SEVERE TORNADO CROSSED SOUTHERN SOMERSET COUNTY ON THE EVENING OF MAY 31 1998. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST EAST OF MT DAVIS AND TRAVELLED SOUTHEAST THROUGH DOWNTOWN SALISBURY. THE STORM THEN CONTINUED EASTWARD...DISSIPATING EAST OF THE TOWN OF POCAHONTAS. THE TORNADO WAS RATED AS AN F2 (113 TO 157 MPH) THROUGH THE TOWN OF SALISBURY...BUT PROBABLY REACHED F3 (158 TO 206 MPH) INTENSITY BRIEFLY NEAR POCOHANTAS. THE PATH LENGTH OF THE TORNADO WAS PROBABLY CLOSE TO 15 MILES. F0 DAMAGE (40-72 MPH) WAS IN A SWATH ABOUT 1/2 MILE WIDE...WITH F2 DAMAGE CONFINED TO AN AREA ABOUT 2 BLOCKS WIDE IN SALISBURY. NEAR POCAHANTAS A FARM HOUSE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED INDICATING WINDS OF F3 INTENSITY (158 TO 206 MPH) IN AN AREA ABOUT 50 YARDS WIDE. 15 PEOPLE WERE INJURED FROM THE TORNADO. 1 PERSON...A 13 YEAR OLD FEMALE IN A VAN...LOST HER LIFE WHEN A TREE FELL ONTO THE VEHICLE. 150 PEOPLE WERE SHELTERED OVERNIGHT SUNDAY...BUT MOST HAVE NOW RETURNED TO THEIR HOMES. THE TORNADO STRUCK IN DOWNTOWN SALISBURY BETWEEN 845 PM AND 900 PM. 10 TO 15 BUSINESSES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED. THE ROOF WAS COMPLETELY RIPPED OFF A FURNITURE FACTORY. SEVERAL TRACTOR TRAILERS WERE OVERTURNED. CITIZENS OF SALISBURY REPORT THAT WARNINGS WERE RELAYED...AND FIRE SIRENS SOUNDED BEFORE THE STORM STRUCK THE TOWN. DUNHAM/JUNG
