Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in New York, July 9, 1997

Name: Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in New York, July 9, 1997
Start: 1997-07-09T13:30
End: 1997-07-09T18:02
Location: New York

July 9, 1997 · NWS OKX · 7 events in 4 counties and zones

High winds downed wires in Fostertown and trees fell on and downed powerlines in Middletown of Orange County. Numerous trees fell on powerlines in Lake Carmel and Brewster of Putnam County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $30,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS OKX wrote it up.

A solid line of thunderstorms, some severe, developed in a warm, moist, unstable airmass ahead of a slow moving cold front.Thunderstorms produced high winds and heavy rains.High winds downed wires in Fostertown and trees fell on and downed powerlines in Middletown of Orange County. A 58 mph peak wind gust was measured at Stewart Airport.Numerous trees fell on powerlines in Lake Carmel and Brewster of Putnam County. A funnel cloud was also sighted in Putnam County. Patterson and Putnam Lake were also hit hard. The school, "Green Chimneys Children's Services," on Putnam Lake Road in Brewster suffered about $30,000 in damages.In Westchester County, a spotter's wind equipment in Ossining measured an 88 mph gust. Damage was severe as trees were downed and uprooted. Along the Hudson River, masts were bent and docks were smashed. High winds caused a tree to fall on and crush a car moving south on the Taconic State Parkway in Yorktown. The tree crushed the roof and killed the driver. Torrential rain caused widespread flash flooding of streets and small streams in Scarsdale.In Richmond County, high winds caused trees to fall on powerlines.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Orange

When: July 9, 1:30 PM EST to 1:50 PM EST
Where: Orange County, Fostertown to Stewart Airport
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.550, -74.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Putnam

When: July 9, 2:40 PM EST
Where: Putnam County, Lake Carmel to Brewster
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $30,000
Coordinates: 41.470, -73.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Orange

When: July 9, 2:40 PM EST
Where: Orange County, Middletown
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.450, -74.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Putnam

When: July 9, 3:45 PM EST
Where: Putnam County, Lake Carmel
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.470, -73.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Westchester

When: July 9, 5:10 PM EST to 5:20 PM EST
Where: Westchester County, Ossining to Yorktown
Measured: 76 kt (87 mph)
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 41.170, -73.870

Flash Flood, Westchester

When: July 9, 5:40 PM EST
Where: Westchester County, Scarsdale
Coordinates: 41.152, -73.753 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Richmond

When: July 9, 6:02 PM EST
Where: Richmond County, Richmond
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 40.570, -74.170

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Thunderstorm Wind, Westchester	1997-07-09	43	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New York in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, July 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5610302, 5610303, 5610304, 5610305, 5610306, 5610307, 5610308.