Old Chatham, NY Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Old Chatham is lower than New York average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Old Chatham is higher than New York average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #1091
| Old Chatham, NY | 0.10 |
| New York | 0.58 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Old Chatham, NY | 0.0000 |
| New York | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #27
| Old Chatham, NY | 95.51 |
| New York | 49.25 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 4,523 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Old Chatham, NY were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 5 | Cold: | 67 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 16 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 555 | Hail: | 913 | Heat: | 26 | Heavy Snow: | 136 |
| High Surf: | 4 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 10 | Landslide: | 1 | Strong Wind: | 116 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 2,297 | Tropical Storm: | 2 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 114 | Winter Weather: | 60 |
| Other: | 199 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Old Chatham, NY.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Old Chatham, NY.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Old Chatham, NY.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 32 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Old Chatham, NY.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 7.6 | 2003-07-21 | 2 | 42°24'N / 73°42'W | 42°24'N / 73°42'W | 1.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 200K | 0 | Columbia |
| Brief Description: A large upper air trough dug across the western Great Lakes on Monday, July 21. At the surface, a deep low pressure area moved across the eastern Great Lakes, driving a warm front across eastern New York and adjacent New England. The air became very unstable in the warm air mass behind the front. The combination of the unstable air and strong wind shear aloft, produced the most significant severe outbreak of the season across the region, and the largest tornado outbreak since May 31, 1998. The first line of thunderstorms worked across the region during the afternoon hours. These produced spotty wind damage, mainly downed trees and wires across portions of Albany, Greene, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga and Schoharie Counties. Torrential rains falling in a very short interval of time caused flash flooding in the city of Schenectady. North Jay Street suddenly flooded and a woman had to be rescued from her car as it became submerged in about three feet of moving water. An even stronger line of storms moved east from central New York, into eastern New York during the evening hours. This squall line produced wind damage of its own, with spotty downed trees and wires across portions of Albany and Washington counties. Wind damage was more concentrated in Ulster and Dutchess counties. In Saugherties, Ulster County, downed trees flattened three cars. In Dutchess County, a large swath of trees were downed in the town of East Fishkill and in the town of Tivoli, a state of emergency was declared. One cell broke loose from the line, and became a supercell as it reached the Mid Hudson Valley. This storm ultimately spawned a long lived significant tornado. The twister initially touched down in southeastern Greene County, and produced a discontinous path of 17 miles in Greene County, 12.2 miles in northwestern Columbia County and 4.8 miles in southern Rensselaer County. The tornada left a swath of destruction including hundreds, if not thousands of trees uprooted and snapped away, along with lots of power and telephone wires. Many roads in each of these counties were impassable due to debris. The first confirmed touchdown was in the town of Palenville, Greene County. The tornado was ranked as F1 with a 50 yard wide path and on the ground for a half mile. An unoccupied home had its siding ripped off. Several other homes were severely damaged including a trailor. The tornado next touched downed in the hamlet of Kiskatom, in the town of Catskill, where it increased to F2 intensity and cut a path 150 yards wide and over a mile long. Several homes were destroyed along with seven injuries right off Route 32 in the Brookside Camp Grounds. Four people were trapped inside one of the trailer homes. Another lady was trapped inside a mobile home as it was lifted into the air then smashed into the ground. The woman was badly bruised but survived the ordeal. The next touchdown was in Athens with a rating of F0, and the last touchdown in Greene County was in Coaxsackie where a manufactured home was hoisted off its foundation, and had insulation pasted to the siding on the downwind side, which is typical of F1 damage. The tornado ripped across Columbia County with two touchdowns confirmed in the towns of Kinderhook, the Newtown Hook section in the town of Stuyvesant and the town of Niverville. The touchdown at Kinderhook Lake the strongest, with a ranking of F2. A barn was completely destroyed and the unfortunate farmer stated that some of his haywagons ended up in Kinderhook Lake. A garage was completely leveled and a car was tossed onto the tops of a blown-down tree. Another building had its metal roof partially peeled back. In Niverville, 11 people were given shelter as they were afraid to stay in their damaged homes. Straight-line thunderstorms produced additional tree and wire damage in the towns of Chatham, Hudson and Valatia. A state of emergency was declared throughout Columbia County. There was one injury reported by the newspaper in that county. The only hail reported with these storm took place in Stockpart, where golf ball size stones where reported. A state of emergency was declared in all of Columbia County right after the tornado past on by. The supercell and resultant tornado next touched down in the town of Nassua in Rensselaer County, near Route 20 with a rating of F1. The average width of the twister was between 75 and 100 yards and a discontinous path length of more than four miles. More homes and a garage were severly damaged but no injuries were reported. The roof on the Agway was blown off and a gazebo landed across the state highway in a pile of splintered wood. The NWS Survey team noted that the twister had multiple vortices in this area. Additional straight line damage was also noted in the same town. The last touchdowns were in the town of Schaghticoke with an F1 rating. During the height of the storms, as many as 63,000 customers were reported to have lost power in eastern New York, nearly 7,000 of those in Greene County alone. Power restoration was not completed until the following Friday. | |||||||||||
| 7.6 | 1973-08-28 | 4 | 42°25'N / 73°25'W | 42°22'N / 73°25'W | 3.40 Miles | 313 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Columbia |
| 7.8 | 1997-07-03 | 2 | 42°24'N / 73°25'W | 42°24'N / 73°24'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 550K | 20K | Columbia |
| Brief Description: On July 3, a fast moving cold front crossed eastern New York during the afternoon and evening hours. The front initiated many severe thunderstorms and three tornadoes in Columbia County. In Columbia County near Copake Lake, an F1 tornado produced minor damage to two houses, scattered parts of a barn across county highway 7A and downed many trees and wires. In Columbia County near Canaan, two tornadoes produced extensive damage. The F1 tornado formed just southwest of Beebe Pond, moved northeast and terminated near the intersection of state routes 295 and 22. The tornado damaged several residences and moved a car port. The F2 tornado initiated near the intersection of state routes 295 and 22 and moved eastward across the New York border into Berkshire County Massachusetts where it ended as an F1 tornado. At the County Caretaker Lawn and Garden Center, four large greenhouses incurred structural damage. On Shaker Ridge Road, a newly constructed three story home had the roof completely blown off along with the rear exterior wall. The detached garage was blown off the foundation and destroyed. Since this area is forested, many trees and wires were downed by the tornadoes resulting in power outages. At the South Albany Airport near Selkirk, thunderstorm winds destroyed a Cessna 172 and a vintage1940's Luscombe 8E. The winds also ripped a roof off a garage and downed several trees. In Schoharie County at Charlotteville, straight line winds rolled over a mobile home with five people inside. A second mobile home which was unoccupied was lifted on top of the rolled over mobile home. The five people sustained injuries. In Rensselaer County at Stephentown, thunderstorm winds lifted a barn and dropped it on East Road. Many trees and power lines were also downed by the wind. The thunderstorms also produced hail in parts of Schoharie, Washington, Albany and Columbia Counties. A combination of damaging winds and lightning, left fifteen to twenty thousand people without power across eastern New York. A lifeguard at the Northhampton Beach State Campsite in Northville was struck by lightning. The individual was hospitalized and released with no serious injuries. | |||||||||||
| 11.1 | 1973-08-28 | 4 | 42°22'N / 73°25'W | 42°16'N / 73°23'W | 6.40 Miles | 313 Yards | 4 | 36 | 25.0M | 0 | Berkshire |
| 11.4 | 1998-05-31 | 2 | 42°35'N / 73°39'W | 42°36'N / 73°31'W | 8.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 175K | 0 | Rensselaer |
| Brief Description: During the morning hours of May 31, a strong low pressure system over the upper Great Lakes pushed a warm front across eastern New York and western New England. This set the stage for a major severe weather outbreak in eastern New York. In this highly sheared environment several lines of severe thunderstorms formed ahead of an approaching cold front. This resulted in three tornadoes and severe thunderstorm damage in every county. The most significant tornado occurred in Saratoga County and northern Rensselaer County. This tornado touched down at Ushers Road in the Town of Halfmoon and moved due east into the City of Mechanicville. Here, the tornado intensified to an F3 and destroyed the DiSiena Furniture Company. The tornado tracked over Viall Hill where several housing developments were devastated. It continued east into the Riverside area in the Town of Stillwater, where many homes, businesses and several warehouses including De Crescente Distributing Company were destroyed or heavily damaged. The tornado then crossed the Hudson River into Rensselaer County and decreased to an F2. The tornado tracked across the Town of Schaghticoke and just brushed the Village of Schaghticoke to the north. Czub Grain Farm on Verbeck Avenue was heavily damaged. It then followed the Hoosic River as it crossed the Village of Valley Falls and into the northern portion of the Town of Pittstown to Millertown. At this point the track became discontinuous and the intensity decreased to an F1. In the Town of Hoosick the path became continuous again and increased to an F2. Several farms received extensive damage including Lukeland Dairy Farm where a 60 ton silo and barn were leveled. The tornado then tracked from extreme northeast Rensselaer County to Bennington County in southern Vermont where it quickly decreased to an F1 after crossing the border. Governor Pataki declared a State of Emergency in Saratoga and Rensselaer Counties. The National Guard was called in by the Governor to assist in the clean up. In Saratoga County approximately 55 homes were destroyed and 230 were damaged. In Rensselaer County approximately 50 to 60 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Power was not restored to parts of this region for three to four days. Approximately 70 injuries occurred with this tornado but no one was killed. Another tornado tracked across southern Rensselaer County. This tornado first touched down on Palmer Road about two miles east of Interstate 90 in the Town of Schodack. The tornado moved due east and passed just south of North Schodack then tracked east northeast to Millers Corners on the south shore of Burden Lake. The damage path continued in this direction to Pike Pond before it dissipated at Alps Mountain. This tornado destroyed three barns, damaged several homes and produced extensive tree damage along its path. The last tornado tracked across the Albany International Airport. It began southwest of the airport about one-half mile west of Memory Gardens Cemetery. The damage path continued east northeast to the Albany ASOS unit where an 82 mile an hour gust was reported. Next it tracked near the Air National Guard facility at the Albany Airport before it crossed Interstate 87 and dissipated. The most widespread damage occurred near the Hilton Hotel where several trees were uprooted or sheared off. At Easton in Washington County, a microburst producing winds of 100 miles an hour took the roof off the fire house and leveled a barn after it was carried 60 yards. South of the Village of Herkimer in Herkimer County, a powerful downburst took the roof off a T hangar at a small private airport and damaged two airplanes. A couple of out buildings and a small trailer office were also rolled off their foundations. The severe weather caused widespread power outages across all of eastern New York. The damaging winds downed power lines, power poles and trees in many locations. Structural damage occurred to several homes and garages due to downed trees. Damage to crops was also quite extensive especially in the mid Hudson Valley and Capital District. Resources from the State Department of Agriculture and Markets were made available to many counties in this region. Approximately 25 cows were killed across the area due to either electrocution or collapsed barns. | |||||||||||
| 13.4 | 1974-06-16 | 3 | 42°15'N / 73°50'W | 42°40'N / 73°48'W | 28.70 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Greene |
| 20.2 | 1975-07-13 | 2 | 42°29'N / 73°10'W | 0.30 Mile | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Berkshire | |
| 23.8 | 2003-07-21 | 2 | 42°12'N / 73°58'W | 42°13'N / 73°52'W | 1.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 7 | 1.0M | 0 | Greene |
| Brief Description: A large upper air trough dug across the western Great Lakes on Monday, July 21. At the surface, a deep low pressure area moved across the eastern Great Lakes, driving a warm front across eastern New York and adjacent New England. The air became very unstable in the warm air mass behind the front. The combination of the unstable air and strong wind shear aloft, produced the most significant severe outbreak of the season across the region, and the largest tornado outbreak since May 31, 1998. The first line of thunderstorms worked across the region during the afternoon hours. These produced spotty wind damage, mainly downed trees and wires across portions of Albany, Greene, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga and Schoharie Counties. Torrential rains falling in a very short interval of time caused flash flooding in the city of Schenectady. North Jay Street suddenly flooded and a woman had to be rescued from her car as it became submerged in about three feet of moving water. An even stronger line of storms moved east from central New York, into eastern New York during the evening hours. This squall line produced wind damage of its own, with spotty downed trees and wires across portions of Albany and Washington counties. Wind damage was more concentrated in Ulster and Dutchess counties. In Saugherties, Ulster County, downed trees flattened three cars. In Dutchess County, a large swath of trees were downed in the town of East Fishkill and in the town of Tivoli, a state of emergency was declared. One cell broke loose from the line, and became a supercell as it reached the Mid Hudson Valley. This storm ultimately spawned a long lived significant tornado. The twister initially touched down in southeastern Greene County, and produced a discontinous path of 17 miles in Greene County, 12.2 miles in northwestern Columbia County and 4.8 miles in southern Rensselaer County. The tornada left a swath of destruction including hundreds, if not thousands of trees uprooted and snapped away, along with lots of power and telephone wires. Many roads in each of these counties were impassable due to debris. The first confirmed touchdown was in the town of Palenville, Greene County. The tornado was ranked as F1 with a 50 yard wide path and on the ground for a half mile. An unoccupied home had its siding ripped off. Several other homes were severely damaged including a trailor. The tornado next touched downed in the hamlet of Kiskatom, in the town of Catskill, where it increased to F2 intensity and cut a path 150 yards wide and over a mile long. Several homes were destroyed along with seven injuries right off Route 32 in the Brookside Camp Grounds. Four people were trapped inside one of the trailer homes. Another lady was trapped inside a mobile home as it was lifted into the air then smashed into the ground. The woman was badly bruised but survived the ordeal. The next touchdown was in Athens with a rating of F0, and the last touchdown in Greene County was in Coaxsackie where a manufactured home was hoisted off its foundation, and had insulation pasted to the siding on the downwind side, which is typical of F1 damage. The tornado ripped across Columbia County with two touchdowns confirmed in the towns of Kinderhook, the Newtown Hook section in the town of Stuyvesant and the town of Niverville. The touchdown at Kinderhook Lake the strongest, with a ranking of F2. A barn was completely destroyed and the unfortunate farmer stated that some of his haywagons ended up in Kinderhook Lake. A garage was completely leveled and a car was tossed onto the tops of a blown-down tree. Another building had its metal roof partially peeled back. In Niverville, 11 people were given shelter as they were afraid to stay in their damaged homes. Straight-line thunderstorms produced additional tree and wire damage in the towns of Chatham, Hudson and Valatia. A state of emergency was declared throughout Columbia County. There was one injury reported by the newspaper in that county. The only hail reported with these storm took place in Stockpart, where golf ball size stones where reported. A state of emergency was declared in all of Columbia County right after the tornado past on by. The supercell and resultant tornado next touched down in the town of Nassua in Rensselaer County, near Route 20 with a rating of F1. The average width of the twister was between 75 and 100 yards and a discontinous path length of more than four miles. More homes and a garage were severly damaged but no injuries were reported. The roof on the Agway was blown off and a gazebo landed across the state highway in a pile of splintered wood. The NWS Survey team noted that the twister had multiple vortices in this area. Additional straight line damage was also noted in the same town. The last touchdowns were in the town of Schaghticoke with an F1 rating. During the height of the storms, as many as 63,000 customers were reported to have lost power in eastern New York, nearly 7,000 of those in Greene County alone. Power restoration was not completed until the following Friday. | |||||||||||
| 24.6 | 1955-07-12 | 2 | 42°06'N / 73°22'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Berkshire | |
| 25.1 | 1997-07-03 | 2 | 42°10'N / 73°13'W | 42°13'N / 73°09'W | 4.50 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.5M | 0 | Berkshire |
| Brief Description: On July 3, a fast moving cold front crossed Berkshire County during the afternoon and evening hours. The front initiated four tornadoes. The Richmond F1 tornado is a continuation of the F2 tornado which occurred in Columbia County. This tornado downed trees and produced minor damage to one house as it diminished in the Richmond area. The tornado in the Town of Florida began at the intersection of South County Road and Savoy Road. The F1 tornado tracked eastward and terminated just south of Florida near state route 2. The tornado removed all the shingles off the roof of a residence and a prefabricated steeple was blown off a church. Many trees were also downed along its path. The F2 tornado which began in the Monterey area started at the intersection of Wellman Road and New Marlborough Road. The tornado tracked northeast across state route 23 and Lake Garfield to Hayes Pond where it merged with the second tornado. At the north end of Hayes Pond the tornado diminished. This tornado downed hundreds of trees, damaged ten to twenty homes and destroyed two vehicles. The damage was most extensive along the north shore of Lake Garfield at Elephant Rock Road, Hopi Road, Mt. Hunger Road and Norwalk Acres Road. The second F2 tornado began near the intersection of Tyringham Road and West Center Road. It then tracked across Hayes Pond where it momentarily merged with the other tornado. The tornado then proceeded northeast where it ended near the intersection of state route 8 and Merrit Road. This tornado produced extensive tree damage, destroyed one vehicle and damaged fifteen to twenty homes. The most extensive damage occurred along West Center Road near Hayes Pond. Baseball size hail was also observed at Hayes Pond with this storm. Two people were struck by lightning at the Great Barrington Fairgrouds. They were both hospitalized and released. | |||||||||||
| 25.4 | 1974-06-16 | 3 | 42°40'N / 73°48'W | 42°51'N / 73°45'W | 12.70 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Albany |
| 25.7 | 1989-07-10 | 4 | 42°24'N / 74°05'W | 42°23'N / 74°02'W | 5.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Greene |
| 25.7 | 1966-03-01 | 2 | 42°39'N / 73°09'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Berkshire | |||
| 26.4 | 1997-07-03 | 2 | 42°11'N / 73°10'W | 42°14'N / 73°06'W | 3.70 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.5M | 0 | Berkshire |
| Brief Description: On July 3, a fast moving cold front crossed Berkshire County during the afternoon and evening hours. The front initiated four tornadoes. The Richmond F1 tornado is a continuation of the F2 tornado which occurred in Columbia County. This tornado downed trees and produced minor damage to one house as it diminished in the Richmond area. The tornado in the Town of Florida began at the intersection of South County Road and Savoy Road. The F1 tornado tracked eastward and terminated just south of Florida near state route 2. The tornado removed all the shingles off the roof of a residence and a prefabricated steeple was blown off a church. Many trees were also downed along its path. The F2 tornado which began in the Monterey area started at the intersection of Wellman Road and New Marlborough Road. The tornado tracked northeast across state route 23 and Lake Garfield to Hayes Pond where it merged with the second tornado. At the north end of Hayes Pond the tornado diminished. This tornado downed hundreds of trees, damaged ten to twenty homes and destroyed two vehicles. The damage was most extensive along the north shore of Lake Garfield at Elephant Rock Road, Hopi Road, Mt. Hunger Road and Norwalk Acres Road. The second F2 tornado began near the intersection of Tyringham Road and West Center Road. It then tracked across Hayes Pond where it momentarily merged with the other tornado. The tornado then proceeded northeast where it ended near the intersection of state route 8 and Merrit Road. This tornado produced extensive tree damage, destroyed one vehicle and damaged fifteen to twenty homes. The most extensive damage occurred along West Center Road near Hayes Pond. Baseball size hail was also observed at Hayes Pond with this storm. Two people were struck by lightning at the Great Barrington Fairgrouds. They were both hospitalized and released. | |||||||||||
| 30.0 | 1989-07-10 | 4 | 42°34'N / 74°12'W | 42°24'N / 74°05'W | 13.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Albany |
| 30.5 | 1966-08-11 | 2 | 42°02'N / 73°18'W | 42°03'N / 73°14'W | 2.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Litchfield |
| 30.6 | 1959-05-12 | 2 | 42°00'N / 73°24'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Litchfield | |
| 31.8 | 1966-08-11 | 2 | 42°03'N / 73°14'W | 42°06'N / 73°05'W | 8.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Berkshire |
| 32.3 | 1960-06-24 | 3 | 42°48'N / 73°53'W | 42°55'N / 73°44'W | 10.90 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 9 | 25.0M | 0 | Schenectady |
| 33.2 | 1973-08-28 | 2 | 42°54'N / 73°33'W | 42°55'N / 73°29'W | 2.30 Miles | 83 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Rensselaer |
| 34.1 | 1974-06-16 | 3 | 42°51'N / 73°45'W | 42°55'N / 73°53'W | 7.70 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Saratoga |
| 34.6 | 1998-05-31 | 2 | 42°55'N / 73°41'W | 42°56'N / 73°16'W | 20.30 Miles | 970 Yards | 0 | 0 | 10.0M | 200K | Rensselaer |
| Brief Description: During the morning hours of May 31, a strong low pressure system over the upper Great Lakes pushed a warm front across eastern New York and western New England. This set the stage for a major severe weather outbreak in eastern New York. In this highly sheared environment several lines of severe thunderstorms formed ahead of an approaching cold front. This resulted in three tornadoes and severe thunderstorm damage in every county. The most significant tornado occurred in Saratoga County and northern Rensselaer County. This tornado touched down at Ushers Road in the Town of Halfmoon and moved due east into the City of Mechanicville. Here, the tornado intensified to an F3 and destroyed the DiSiena Furniture Company. The tornado tracked over Viall Hill where several housing developments were devastated. It continued east into the Riverside area in the Town of Stillwater, where many homes, businesses and several warehouses including De Crescente Distributing Company were destroyed or heavily damaged. The tornado then crossed the Hudson River into Rensselaer County and decreased to an F2. The tornado tracked across the Town of Schaghticoke and just brushed the Village of Schaghticoke to the north. Czub Grain Farm on Verbeck Avenue was heavily damaged. It then followed the Hoosic River as it crossed the Village of Valley Falls and into the northern portion of the Town of Pittstown to Millertown. At this point the track became discontinuous and the intensity decreased to an F1. In the Town of Hoosick the path became continuous again and increased to an F2. Several farms received extensive damage including Lukeland Dairy Farm where a 60 ton silo and barn were leveled. The tornado then tracked from extreme northeast Rensselaer County to Bennington County in southern Vermont where it quickly decreased to an F1 after crossing the border. Governor Pataki declared a State of Emergency in Saratoga and Rensselaer Counties. The National Guard was called in by the Governor to assist in the clean up. In Saratoga County approximately 55 homes were destroyed and 230 were damaged. In Rensselaer County approximately 50 to 60 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Power was not restored to parts of this region for three to four days. Approximately 70 injuries occurred with this tornado but no one was killed. Another tornado tracked across southern Rensselaer County. This tornado first touched down on Palmer Road about two miles east of Interstate 90 in the Town of Schodack. The tornado moved due east and passed just south of North Schodack then tracked east northeast to Millers Corners on the south shore of Burden Lake. The damage path continued in this direction to Pike Pond before it dissipated at Alps Mountain. This tornado destroyed three barns, damaged several homes and produced extensive tree damage along its path. The last tornado tracked across the Albany International Airport. It began southwest of the airport about one-half mile west of Memory Gardens Cemetery. The damage path continued east northeast to the Albany ASOS unit where an 82 mile an hour gust was reported. Next it tracked near the Air National Guard facility at the Albany Airport before it crossed Interstate 87 and dissipated. The most widespread damage occurred near the Hilton Hotel where several trees were uprooted or sheared off. At Easton in Washington County, a microburst producing winds of 100 miles an hour took the roof off the fire house and leveled a barn after it was carried 60 yards. South of the Village of Herkimer in Herkimer County, a powerful downburst took the roof off a T hangar at a small private airport and damaged two airplanes. A couple of out buildings and a small trailer office were also rolled off their foundations. The severe weather caused widespread power outages across all of eastern New York. The damaging winds downed power lines, power poles and trees in many locations. Structural damage occurred to several homes and garages due to downed trees. Damage to crops was also quite extensive especially in the mid Hudson Valley and Capital District. Resources from the State Department of Agriculture and Markets were made available to many counties in this region. Approximately 25 cows were killed across the area due to either electrocution or collapsed barns. | |||||||||||
| 34.8 | 1998-05-31 | 3 | 42°55'N / 73°46'W | 42°55'N / 73°41'W | 4.70 Miles | 970 Yards | 0 | 68 | 60.0M | 0 | Saratoga |
| Brief Description: During the morning hours of May 31, a strong low pressure system over the upper Great Lakes pushed a warm front across eastern New York and western New England. This set the stage for a major severe weather outbreak in eastern New York. In this highly sheared environment several lines of severe thunderstorms formed ahead of an approaching cold front. This resulted in three tornadoes and severe thunderstorm damage in every county. The most significant tornado occurred in Saratoga County and northern Rensselaer County. This tornado touched down at Ushers Road in the Town of Halfmoon and moved due east into the City of Mechanicville. Here, the tornado intensified to an F3 and destroyed the DiSiena Furniture Company. The tornado tracked over Viall Hill where several housing developments were devastated. It continued east into the Riverside area in the Town of Stillwater, where many homes, businesses and several warehouses including De Crescente Distributing Company were destroyed or heavily damaged. The tornado then crossed the Hudson River into Rensselaer County and decreased to an F2. The tornado tracked across the Town of Schaghticoke and just brushed the Village of Schaghticoke to the north. Czub Grain Farm on Verbeck Avenue was heavily damaged. It then followed the Hoosic River as it crossed the Village of Valley Falls and into the northern portion of the Town of Pittstown to Millertown. At this point the track became discontinuous and the intensity decreased to an F1. In the Town of Hoosick the path became continuous again and increased to an F2. Several farms received extensive damage including Lukeland Dairy Farm where a 60 ton silo and barn were leveled. The tornado then tracked from extreme northeast Rensselaer County to Bennington County in southern Vermont where it quickly decreased to an F1 after crossing the border. Governor Pataki declared a State of Emergency in Saratoga and Rensselaer Counties. The National Guard was called in by the Governor to assist in the clean up. In Saratoga County approximately 55 homes were destroyed and 230 were damaged. In Rensselaer County approximately 50 to 60 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Power was not restored to parts of this region for three to four days. Approximately 70 injuries occurred with this tornado but no one was killed. Another tornado tracked across southern Rensselaer County. This tornado first touched down on Palmer Road about two miles east of Interstate 90 in the Town of Schodack. The tornado moved due east and passed just south of North Schodack then tracked east northeast to Millers Corners on the south shore of Burden Lake. The damage path continued in this direction to Pike Pond before it dissipated at Alps Mountain. This tornado destroyed three barns, damaged several homes and produced extensive tree damage along its path. The last tornado tracked across the Albany International Airport. It began southwest of the airport about one-half mile west of Memory Gardens Cemetery. The damage path continued east northeast to the Albany ASOS unit where an 82 mile an hour gust was reported. Next it tracked near the Air National Guard facility at the Albany Airport before it crossed Interstate 87 and dissipated. The most widespread damage occurred near the Hilton Hotel where several trees were uprooted or sheared off. At Easton in Washington County, a microburst producing winds of 100 miles an hour took the roof off the fire house and leveled a barn after it was carried 60 yards. South of the Village of Herkimer in Herkimer County, a powerful downburst took the roof off a T hangar at a small private airport and damaged two airplanes. A couple of out buildings and a small trailer office were also rolled off their foundations. The severe weather caused widespread power outages across all of eastern New York. The damaging winds downed power lines, power poles and trees in many locations. Structural damage occurred to several homes and garages due to downed trees. Damage to crops was also quite extensive especially in the mid Hudson Valley and Capital District. Resources from the State Department of Agriculture and Markets were made available to many counties in this region. Approximately 25 cows were killed across the area due to either electrocution or collapsed barns. | |||||||||||
| 36.6 | 1976-06-30 | 2 | 42°00'N / 73°08'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Litchfield | |
| 39.1 | 1998-05-31 | 2 | 42°57'N / 73°17'W | 42°56'N / 73°11'W | 5.50 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 630K | 0 | Bennington |
| Brief Description: During the morning hours of May 31, a strong low pressure system over the upper Great Lakes pushed a warm front across eastern New York and western New England. This set the stage for a major severe weather outbreak in southern Vermont. In this highly sheared environment several lines of severe thunderstorms formed ahead of an approaching cold front, which resulted in one tornado and several severe thunderstorms. The F2 tornado in Bennington County is the continuation of the tornado that crossed Saratoga and Rensselaer Counties in eastern New York. The tornado entered the county as an F2 but quickly weakened to an F1. The tornado followed route 67 from the state line through North Bennington to the South Shaftsbury area. The tornado dissipated approximately two miles east of South Shaftsbury along Lower East Road. This tornado produced extensive damage to many homes in North Bennington and South Shaftsbury. The Bennington College grounds were hard hit with many trees blown over or sheared apart. Approximately 8,000 customers lost power with some locations remaining without power for two to three days. Severe thunderstorms also downed trees, power lines and utility poles at several locations in southern Vermont. A severe thunderstorm at Shaftsbury in Bennington County produced large hail. | |||||||||||
| 42.6 | 1989-07-10 | 4 | 42°47'N / 74°27'W | 42°34'N / 74°12'W | 18.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 20 | 25.0M | 0 | Schoharie |
| 43.4 | 1955-03-22 | 2 | 43°00'N / 73°12'W | 0.10 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bennington | |
| 45.4 | 1954-05-10 | 2 | 42°00'N / 72°53'W | 0.80 Mile | 17 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Hartford | |
| 45.9 | 1971-09-13 | 3 | 42°20'N / 72°40'W | 0.50 Mile | 7 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hampshire | |
| 47.1 | 2000-05-18 | 2 | 41°49'N / 73°58'W | 41°49'N / 73°58'W | 0.20 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0 | Ulster |
| Brief Description: A strong cold front crossed eastern New York late on May 18. At the same time, very strong winds aloft moved over the area. The combination of the instability, and lift ahead of the front, spawned a line of thunderstorms. These storm tapped into the strong wind aloft, to produce the largest outbreak of severe weather across eastern New York in nearly two years. While the vast majority of damage was from thunderstorm winds, there was also some hail damage reported, along with two confirmed tornadoes. It was the first time since June 1998 that a tornado was officially confirmed in eastern New York. Thunderstorm winds knocked down large trees a powerlines at several locations in Albany, Columbia, Greene, Montgomery, Saratoga, Schoharie and Ulster counties. Dutchess county was especially hard hit. A line of strong to locally severe thunderstorms first moved into Montgomery County during the mid afternoon. Strong winds blew down large trees in Fort Plain. Then a microburst produced a swath of damage, 8 miles long, from west to east in the town of Canajoharie. The swath began at the intersection of Nestle and Clinton roads where a large barn lost its roof and two sides. Debris was blown over the adjoining house, landing inside a garage on the other side of the intersection, as well as up the road about 40 feet . A wooden silo located adjacent to the garage lost one entire side, thus collapsing inward inside the silo. The rest of the damage was mainly from snapped power poles and trees, as the path ended just west of Knauderack Creek, adjacent to Bower road. Trees and powerlines came down in Selkirk, Albany county, as well as Gilboa and Jefferson in Schoharie county. At Ballston Lake, in Saratoga county, a microburst sheared off 8 forty-foot trees at the 10 to 20 foot level. One tree damaged a house. More trees and limbs fell in Clifton Park. Another series of microbursts began in Ulster county about a mile northwest of the center of Esopus. They knocked down several clusters of trees as they neared State HIghway Route 9W, while moving in an easterly direction. Embedded within the microburst, an F1 tornado, touched down briefly to the east of Black Creek and 9W, less than a tenth of a mile south of the center of Esopus. The track of the tornado was about a quarter mile long and 25 to 50 yards wide with numerous trees pushed about 70 degrees to the left of the storm track. There was little property damage due to the tornado, but it was sighted by nearby residents. Meanwhile the series of microbursts continued across the Hudson river, into Dutchess county, blowing over over the estreme southern portion of Hydeo Park as well as the Poughkeepsie Yacht club in northern Poughkeepsie. Winds were clocked at 126 mph at the Poughkeepsie Yacht club. Several boats were overturned and damaged. A trailer was overturned. The roof was removed from the Yacht club. Damage from this microburst fanned out to a width of approximately one hundred yards, and a path length of up to a quarter of a mile. The wind overturned a car. The roof was removed from the Yacht club. Damage from this microburst fanned out to a width of approximatley 100 yards, and a path length of up to a quarter of a mile. A car was damaged by a falling tree in Hyde Park. A weaker F0 tornado, touched down in the Fairview section of the town of Poughkeepsie, about one quarter mile east of the Fairview Fire Station, on the leading edge of another microburst. The width was 25 yards, the length less than one hundred yards. Damage from the tornado was marginal, confined to downed trees and some minor structural damage to seven homes. Thunderstorm winds produced damage in many other portions of Dutchess county. Another microburst produced damage between County Route 83, just north of U.S. Highway Route 44, east to the village of Leedsville. Damage included destruction to a barn on the Bel Air farm. Many trees were down in a huge swath with this microburst. There were unconfirmed sightings of funnel clouds in this area. Many trees fell in Millbrook, which was described as a war zone. Large trees were uprooted in Clinton Corners and falling trees knocked powerlines down in Rhinebeck. In Pawling, a large tree fell on power lines, then crashed onto a car, causing extensive damage. Trees were blown across a power line, which then fell on Allyn's restaurant in the Town of Washington. Trees and poles were also blown down in the village of Fishkill. Winds were clocked to 70 mph in Stone Ridge, and 60 mph at New Paltz, both in Ulster county. Many windows were smashed or blown out of buildings at the New Paltz S.U.N.Y. campus. Trees were blown over in Ellenville. A tree fell on the mayor's car in that town, destroying it. Another tree damaged a historical home. A 60 mph wind gust was also recoreded at Kinderhook, Columbia county. Two 50-foot concrete silos of a coach barn in Gallatin, Columbia county were obliterated. A door was blown off a nearby house. In the promixity of Gallatin, a car was destroyed by a fallen tree. Huge trees fell on Schneider road in Columbia county. Many trees were snapped off their bases in East Taghkanic. Shingles from a roof were blown off in Cairo, Greene county and large trees fell on a house in and around the town of Phoenicia. A microburst uprooted many 22 to 24 inch diameter trees and snapped utility lines in the vicinity of Route 23, a few hundred yards north of the intersection of County Route 23A. Dime size hail fell at Kerhonkson, Ulster county. Pea-size hail was noted at Tivoli and Clinton corners, both located in Dutchess county. While property damage with the hail was minimized, hail took a toll on apple orchards. Many apples were partially damaged by small hail in Ulster and Dutchess counties that produced permanent indentations on the apples, making them unusable for sale. Total crop damage could easily exceed a million dollars. Lightning took the life of two horses at a farm in Ballston Lake. At the height of the storms, up to 52,000 customers, mainly in the Mid Hudson Valley region, were without power. A funnel cloud was noted by two on-duty meteorologists at the National Weather Service office at Albany. There were no human injuries or casualties, reported to the National Weather Service, in association with this large severe outbreak. | |||||||||||
| 47.2 | 1989-07-10 | 2 | 41°50'N / 73°20'W | 41°43'N / 73°14'W | 10.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 4 | 25.0M | 0 | Litchfield |
| 48.9 | 2001-06-23 | 2 | 41°48'N / 73°07'W | 41°48'N / 73°07'W | 0.50 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Litchfield |
| Brief Description: A warm front, moving into Connecticut, produced a line of showers and isolated thunderstorms during the early afternoon of June 23. One cell developed into a supercell which then spawned two tornados in Litchfield County. The first tornado touched down in the northern end of the town of Washington, on a golf course near Lake Waramaug, cutting a path 50 yards wide and a mile in length. It hit during a lull of a golf tornament that was going on there, damaging the fourth hole of the course as well as destroying a metal fence around a tennis court. This tornado also demolished a storage building. This was ranked as an F1 Tornado, with winds estimated between 75 and 100 mph, by National Weather Service Personnel. The tornado also took out many trees around this area. The tornado lifted back up, but then reformed from the cell as the storm moved into the cities of Torrington and Winstead. This second tornado was ranked on the Fujita scale as an F2 with winds estimated between 100 and 130 mph. It touched down near the Torrington Middle School, over the Midget Football Field cutting a swath two hundred yards wide and a half a mile in length. The tornado destroyed an 8,000 dollar shed that had recently been completed by the Midget Football League. The second twister also demolished the bleachers and part of a roof at the Torrington Middle school. In addition, hundreds of large trees were uprooted. Powerlines were also destroyed. One person was injured when a portion of the blown off roof fell on him, resulting in bone fractures. | |||||||||||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.