BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The National Weather Service has confirmed that four tornadoes touched down in Western New York on Wednesday.
According to the NWS, an EF-1 tornado with an estimated peak wind of 110 MPH began in the Town of Arkwright at 12:06 p.m. and ended in the Town of Hanover at 12:14 p.m. The path length was 3.0 miles and the width was 150 yards. No injuries or deaths have been reported.
"Initial minor roof damage and hardwood tree damage was noted along Henry Road in the Town of Arkwright. Mostly tree damage continued northeast from Henry Road with tree damage noted along Putnam Road as well as increasing tree damage northeast from there across Zahm Road and Bradigah Road. Substantial roofing damage was noted to a home along Gage Road with a wider swath of tree damage as well. As the storm moved northeast from there, the most damage was noted along Prospect Road as multiple structures experienced roof failure, wall blow out, and an entire grove of hardwood trees was either uprooted or snapped off fully."
7 News was on Henry Road in Arkwright on Wednesday afternoon where cleanup is already underway.
Brandon Mead captured dramatic video as the tornado ripped off the roof of his parent's home and flattened a nearby barn on the property.
A second tornado, an EF-2 with an estimated peak wind of 115 MPH began in the Town of Eden at 12:40 p.m. and ended in Eden at 12:46 p.m. The path length was 3.2 miles and the width was 300 yards. No injuries or deaths have been reported.
"Minor tree damage was noted near the intersection of Jennings Road and Kickbush Gulf. Sporadic tree damage extended northeast from that point to the area of widest damage along Gary Drive and Sauer Road. In that location, multiple building had uprooted shallow rooted trees fall onto them. This was by far the area of greatest damage extend and the end of the path of this tornado."
7 News was also in Eden on Wednesday afternoon. Property owners are vowing to bounce back after their farm was destroyed.
And this isn't the first time they'll have to rebuild, they lost barns during Snowvember in 2014.
The radar is quieting down and we are looking for storm reports across western and north central NY! We confirmed two tornadoes, one in Chautauqua county and one in Erie county today, with more surveys expected in the coming days. Please help us know where the damage occurred! pic.twitter.com/du6HvsW0FV
— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) July 11, 2024
A third tornado was rated an EF-0 and touched down in Genesee County. The storm hit at 1:42 p.m. in the town of Darien and ended at 1:46 p.m. in the Town of Alexander. The peak wind was 75 miles per hour, the path length was 1.0 miles, and the width was 50 yards.
The NWS said The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
- EF0 — 65 to 85 MPH
- EF1 — 86 to 110 MPH
- EF2 — 111 to 135 MPH
- EF3 — 136 to 165 MPH
- EF4 — 166 to 200 MPH
- EF5 — >200 MPH
The fourth confirmed tornado was in the Town of Aurora near West Falls. It touched down at 12:59 p.m. and ended at 1:04 p.m. near Griffins Mills. The path of the storm was 1.5 miles and had a width of 400 yards.
"Multiple spotter reports were received from the West Falls, NY, with first hand accounts of a tornado touchdown on Wednesday. The National Weather Service Storm Survey was conducted this morning, confirming primarily hardwood and softwood uprooted and snapped trees from west of Old Glenwood Road to just north of Mill Road. The track of the tornado became especially wide as it crossed the West Branch of the Cazenovia Creek along Tannery Road. Just before the tornado lifted from the ground along Mills Road, a modern and newly built horse barn was struck, tearing away a portion of the roof and blowing out some of the outer windows."
