Herkimer County, N.Y. — The National Weather Service has confirmed that a third tornado was spawned by violent storms last Friday in Upstate New York.
No one was injured in any of the tornadoes.
The Albany weather service office said today that it was a tornado that hit in Herkimer County, near Sauquoit, about 5:30 p.m. Friday.
The tornado had winds of up to 100 mph, with a 450-foot-wide path that lasted just over half a mile. No one was injured, but the tornado hurled debris from a horse barn more than 2,000 feet onto a nearby golf course. It was rated EF-1, the second-lowest of six categories that measure the strength of tornadoes.
“Although horses and donkeys were in the field as the tornado passed through, none of the animals were injured,” the weather service said.
The Sauquoit tornado was spawned by the same thunderstorm as the tornado that hit Verona 45 minutes earlier. The Verona tornado had a maximum wind speed of 70 mph and snapped seven utility lines along Route 365 near Turning Stone Resort and Casino. That tornado was rated EF-0, the lowest rating.
“Two tornadoes on Friday came from the same super cell thunderstorm. Very rare for Upstate NY!,” said WKTV meteorologist Bill Kardas on Twitter.
The third confirmed tornado on Friday hit the village of Broadalbin in Fulton County about 3:50 p.m. It was an EF-1, with winds of 90 mph. Siding and shingles were ripped off homes, a carport was hurled into a tree, snapped-off trees flew 150 feet, and a pole barn was destroyed, the weather service said.
New York gets an average of seven tornadoes a year.
by Glenn Coin
July 5, 2017
