A tornado touched down in Broome County north of Binghamton last week in Wednesday. This happened during a period of high winds and heavy rain, and while there was property damage, nobody was injured. The National Weather Service office in Binghamton announced an EF-1 tornado, the weakest category, which touched down at 5:19 p.m. It was the intersection of Brooks Road and Castle Creek Road (state Route 11) in Chenango.
About the Tornado
It packed winds of 100 mph, had a maximum width of 150 yards and was on the ground for 0.61 miles, as confirmed by the National Weather Service. Talking about the same Mark Pellerito said, “We had a line of heavy showers and storms moving through. This pushed out and rotated in an embedded thunderstorm.”
Another highlight of it was how it crossed Castle Creek Road and lifted in the vicinity of the creek itself, just shy of Interstate 81. The tornado left numerous downed trees in its wake, and also caused damage to two properties. It included a barn that had one wall and part of its roof ripped off, according to Pellerito.
The tornado sucked up two hay wagons and tossed them each about 100 feet, he said. There were zero reports of any human loss or injury.
What the NWS said
The NWS confirmed that the tornados in Februrary, let alone in winter, are extremely rare in New York, but not impossible. According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the only other time New York witnessed a tornado was back in February 24, 1975. Recalling the same data of tornadic activity in the state, there appears no tornados reported in the months of December, January, and March.
The scenario was a rare case noticed Chenango after a long period of time. Even though there is no property damage and human hurt, two trees came down the streets. The administration officers suggested people of the place to stay indoors and be very careful.