Tornadoes in New York, September 28, 1996

A severe thunderstorm spawned an F1 tornado in the village of Monticello around 810 pm.The damage path started on the south side of the village, just east of route 42 and near the Monticello high school. Numerous large trees were either blown over or snapped off in this vicinity. A little league baseball dugout was lifted up and blown onto the bleachers. Also, a fence surrounding the back porch of an adjacent house was lifted up and over the house, then deposited in the front yard. A path of downed trees and minor roof damage continued into the center of the village. Many 2 to 3 foot diameter trees were uprooted and blown over, one crushing the front porch of a house and causing an injury. A chevy blazer truck was picked up and moved about 10 feet. Damage appeared to be in a convergent pattern with eyewitnesses sighting a rotating column extending from the cloud base. Damage just north of this area was less extensive, consisting primarily of scattered snapped off trees. This suggests the tornado may have lifted for a short time. As the storm approached an area near Thompsonville Road around 820 pm on the north end of the village, it appeared the tornado touched down again. Numerous homes suffered major damage, mainly from fallen trees. A rotational pattern to the damage was noted with eyewitness reports indicating swirling debris. The tornado apparently lifted for good as the storm crossed route 17 heading northward out of Monticello.