An intensifying storm system moved across upstate New York and into southern Quebec early in the morning on the 31st. This system dragged a warm front northeastward across central New York.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS BGM wrote it up.
An intensifying storm system moved across upstate New York and into southern Quebec early in the morning on the 31st. This system dragged a warm front northeastward across central New York. A southerly flow of warm, moist, and unstable air quickly developed. This set the stage for severe weather that afternoon and evening as a cold front and strong upper air disturbance approached. From early in the afternoon until the evening hours, central New York was under siege from severe thunderstorms, including several tornadic supercells. In all, six separate tornadoes touched down on this day in central New York. The most devastating twister cut a discontinuous sixty plus mile track from southeastern Tioga county across southern Broome county and into Delaware county where it finally lifted back into the cloud base. This tornado alone damaged or destroyed more than 30 homes and injured nearly 20 people. Very fortunately, no fatalities occurred. Another violent tornado ripped through southern sections of Otsego county between Laurens and Milford. Thousands of trees were snapped off or uprooted with large sections of forest completely taken out. Several residences were leveled and many roads were impassable for days due to the fallen debris. The damage toll from this day's tornadoes ran into the millions. Several strong bow echo complexes also affected central New York. From southern Chenango county through the lower half of Otsego county, one such storm took out hundreds of trees and inflicted considerable structural damage in and around Oneonta. One man was killed in Oneonta when hit by a falling tree limb. Throughout Onondaga county, wind gusts estimated at 90 to 100 mph caused widespread damage early in the evening between 6:00 and 6:30 pm EDT. Two large transmission towers near Nedrow were toppled from the winds and many buildings had blown out windows and/or roof damage. Hail as large as 3 to 4 inches in diameter accompanied some of the tornadic supercells across New York's southern tier; smashing windows, severely denting cars, and causing crop losses. New York State Electric and Gas Company estimated that hundreds of thousands of customers were without power during the height of the storms late that afternoon and evening. Some of the more remote locations did not have power restored for the better part of a week.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
32 thunderstorm wind, 8 tornado, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A severe thunderstorm moved across northern Oneida county around midday. Trees and wires were blown down in Bridgewater at 12:50 pm. A hay wagon was overturned in Vienna at 12:55 pm EDT.
Severe thunderstorms formed rapidly across western portions of the county. Trees were blown down on top of cars and trailers in Vine Valley and Middlesex between 1:40 and 1:50 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm moved across the county during the early afternoon. Trees and wires were reported down in Penn Yan at 2:05 pm EDT. Numerous other trees and wires were blown down between 2:05 and 2:20 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm moved across the county during the early afternoon. Trees and wires were blown down in Hornell and Atlanta at 2:15 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm moved across northern sections of the county. Trees and wires were blown down in and around Baldwinsville between 2:15 and 2:30 pm EDT.
Severe thunderstorms toppled numerous trees in Cortland between 2:30 and 2:40 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm moving across the county during the early afternoon blew down trees in Barrington township at 2:49 pm EDT.
A thunderstorm crossed into northwestern sections of the county and became severe. Several large trees and wires were downed in the town of Ulysses shortly before 3 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm moved across the southern part of the county during the mid afternoon. Large trees and power poles were blown down in Covert at 3:00 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm moved through the county during the afternoon. Numerous trees and telephone poles were blown down with damage to roofing and siding occurring in Hector and Mecklenburg at 3:00 pm EDT.
A cluster of severe thunderstorms moved across the county during the afternoon. Trees, wires, and a silo were blown down in Cazenovia and Madison at approximately 3:00 pm. Numerous trees and wires were also blown down in Smithfield Township between 3:10 and 3:20 pm EDT.
Severe thunderstorms caused considerable wind damage as they plowed through southern portions of the county. A roof was torn from a silo in Augusta at 3:03 pm and trees were blown down in Clinton and Cassville at 3:10 pm EDT.
A cluster of severe thunderstorms moved across the county during the afternoon. Trees and wires were blown down in Smyrna and Sherburne between 3:15 and 3:20 pm. Trees were also uprooted in Sherburne at 3:25 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm moving across the county blew a tree down onto a van in Ithaca at 3:23 pm EDT.
Severe thunderstorms produced widespread damage across the county. Trees and wires were blown down in Cooperstown and northern Burlington Flats between 3:30 and 3:40 pm EDT. Several roads were blocked due to the downed trees and wires. People were trapped in their vehicles by falling trees and some sustained injury from flying debris, broken glass, or falling wires.
A severe thunderstorm developed over the county during the afternoon and blew down trees and wires in Horseheads at 3:35 pm EDT.
Severe thunderstorms moved across the county during the afternoon blowing down trees that blocked roads in Sherburne at 4:15 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm moving across the county produced large hail ranging from 3/4 to 1 3/4 inches in diameter in Hornell, Addison, and Andover between 4:20 and 4:27 pm EDT. Several automobiles had cracked or smashed windows from the falling hailstones near Andover as sizes grew to that of a golf ball.
Severe thunderstorms moved across the county during the afternoon. Trees and wires were blown down in Cooperstown and Laurens between 4:30 and 4:35 pm EDT. Numerous trees and wires were also downed by the wind in Schenevus at 4:45 pm and Oneonta at 4:50 pm EDT. Transmission towers and large signs were also toppled in Oneonta. Numerous roads were blocked due to the downed trees and many of them were closed for several hours. In Oneonta, a 32 year old man was struck and killed by a large tree limb. Several additonal injuries were sustained from flying debris.
A thunderstorm briefly reached severe limits and produced dime sized hail in Cuyler.
A severe thunderstorm dumped large hail from the Elmira/Elmira Heights vicinity eastward to near Breesport. Hailstones approaching golf ball size severely dented cars in a used automobile lot and cracked a few windshields.
A supercell thunderstorm briefly became tornadic as it crossed northern portions of the county late in the afternoon. The tornado cut a discontinuous 3 mile path from Davenport township northeastward through Butts Corners to Fergusonville between 4:45 and 4:55 pm EDT. The twister appeared to skip across mainly hilltop sections. Large trees were twisted and snapped off on ridge tops with tree damage mainly confined to canopy level at somewhat lower elevations. In Butts Corners, several homes near the path of the tornado sustained siding and roof damage. The tornado appeared to lift back into the cloud base just north of route 9 in Fergusonville.
A severe thunderstorm moving across the county blew down trees in Marcellus at 5:12 pm EDT.
A supercell thunderstorm became tornadic across extreme southeastern section of the county. A tornado touched down in the town of Apalachin around 5:30 pm EDT just west of the Tioga/Broome county line. The tornado skipped along hilltop sections, snapping off trees along its path and causing considerable damage to the back porch of a house. The storm then pushed eastward into Broome county and continued to intensify.
A tornadic supercell ripped across southern sections of the county between approximately 5:35 pm and 6:45 pm EDT. Tornado intensities varied from F0 to F3 along this path. Hailstones as large as baseballs and tea cups were also observed along the cell's southern and western flanks. A tornado which affected Apalachin in southeastern Tioga county crossed the county line and into the town of Vestal around 5:35 pm EDT. At this point, the tornado was rated as F0 intensity with the width of the damage path around 70 yards. Damage was primarily to trees with some large trees uprooted and/or twisted off over hilltop sections. As the cell moved further east into the town of Binghamton, the tornado intensified to category F2 with the damage width increasing to around 100 yards. In this location, the damage became increasingly severe with more structures affected. The local ABC affiliate in the town of Binghamton sustained major damage. A 1000 foot television tower was twisted and toppled to the ground. A large trash dumpster was lifted off the ground and tossed into two satellite dishes, then thrown about 100 yards further over an embankment. A sport utility vehicle was rolled over several times as witnessed by a television crew member. Another vehicle was also moved and a video tape was carried over a mile and a half away from the station. Several small trailers were also flattened in Binghamton just east of Ingraham Hill and others had minor roof damage. Two serious injuries occurred when a trailer collapsed upon the two female occupants who were in the kitchen at the time. Between approximately 6:20 and 6:45 pm EDT, the tornado moved further east through Conklin, Kirkwood, Windsor, and eventually to the Sanford/Deposit area. In the towns of Conklin and Kirkwood, the tornado maintained an F2 intensity. More than a dozen homes took on damage as the twister moved through. For the majority of these residences, damage was restricted to shingles and/or portions of the siding torn off or damaged from falling trees. However, there were several trailers that were nearly or completely destroyed within the direct path of the tornado in the town of Conklin. For one such trailer, its wreckage was strewn downstream for more than a quarter of a mile. As the twister moved into the town of Windsor, it briefly weakened to F0 intensity. At that point, touchdown locations appeared to be restriced to a few scattered spots with damage consisting of tree tops snapped or twisted off. Once the tornado reached the town of Sanford, it reintensified and reached category F3. A well built house was totally destroyed. The only part of the structure left standing was a small interior closet. Also, a wide swath of trees were flattened near a power company sub-station. Trees were twisted off and blown in all directions with hundreds of them estimated to be toppled. Local residents observed hail to 3 inches in diameter near the path of the tornado. Fortunately, as the twister reached its greatest intensity, it affected areas that were more sparsely populated. In all, county emergency management officials estimated damage totals near 1.5 million dollars. Dozens of structures were severely damaged or destroyed and thousands of trees were cut down. Twelve injuries were sustained in total with very fortunately no loss of life. In some of the more remote areas, it took the better part of a week to restore power. Two of the three local television affiliates were knocked off the air for a time on the evening of the 31st with several radio stations also suffering through service interruptions for up to three days. The towns of Binghamton, Conklin, and Sanford were put under a local state of emergency and also ultimately declared federal disaster areas.
A supercell thunderstorm became tornadic near Plymouth Reservoir in Plymouth township around 5:50 pm EDT. Although the tornado's touchdown was brief, it still cut a large swath of damage nearly a 1/4 mile wide and mowed down hundreds of trees around the reservoir. A few homes on the outer fringes of the tornado's sphere of influence had roof and siding damage.
A thunderstorm quickly intensified to severe limits late in the afternoon over eastern portions of the county. Numerous trees were blown down in Cincinnatus at 5:52 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm developed across southern portions of the county and blew down numerous trees in Unadilla around 5:52 pm EDT.
A cluster of severe thunderstorms moved across the county during the afternoon. Numerous trees and wires were blown down across the county at approximately 5:55 pm EDT.
A supercell thunderstorm became tornadic briefly over North Norwich around 6:00 pm EDT. Trees were snapped off and twisted in all directions along the tornado's path. Several road signs were also blown over and a few homes sustained roof and siding damage.
A severe thunderstorm downed several large trees and power lines in Mecklenburg as it passed through shortly after 6:00 pm EDT.
A cluster of developing severe thunderstorms moved through central and southern portions of the county. Numerous trees and wires were downed in Waterloo at approximately 6:07 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm blew down large trees and limbs in Auburn between 6:15 and 6:30 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm produced wind damage in the southeastern portion of the county between 6:25 and 6:30 pm EDT. Many large trees were downed across roadways and power lines in Tioga Terrace. Also, more trees were toppled in Apalachin with a radio tower damaged in South Apalachin.
A severe thunderstorm briefly became tornadic early in the evening as it crossed over the ridges of the Crumhorn mountains and into the Portlandville/Maryland area. Damage consisted of tree tops twisted off in about a 30 yard wide area. The path of the twister was around three quarters of a mile with the intensity rated as F0. Just beyond Morehouse Brook in Maryland township, the tornado appeared to lift back into the cloud base with no visible signs of damage downstream.
A cluster of severe thunderstorms moving across the county blew down trees and wires in Cazenovia at 6:30 pm EDT. Damage to a barn and mobile home was sustained in Brookfield by these storms at 6:50 pm EDT.
A supercell thunderstorm became tornadic as it crossed southern portions of the county around 6:30 pm EDT. The storm cut nearly a 5 mile path from Laurens eastward into Milford township. This twister incurred major damage to heavily forested areas. Thousands of trees were laid out with the width of damage varying up to nearly a half mile in spots. Trees were blown over in a chaotic and almost circular pattern as viewed from aerial damage surveys. Several homes within the path of the twister also sustained heavy damage. In the town of Laurens, a well built home was nearly destroyed with only the back and a portion of the side wall left in tact. Many local roads were closed for up to 3 days as fallen trees made them completely impassable. This included portions of routes 12 and 44. The cell appeared to weaken as it approached Interstate 88 just east of Milford. County emergency officials estimated damage totals in excess of three quarters of a million dollars from this twister. Most of it stemmed from deforestation, repair of utility poles, and other repairs to homes and public structures. Three minor injuries were sustained from falling tree limbs and flying debris.
The same tornadic supercell that moved through southern portions of Broome county crossed into Delaware county in Deposit around 6:45 pm EDT. At that point, the tornado was still quite strong and maintained an intensity of category F3. Several more homes were severely damaged as the twister moved over route 8 and areas just west of Cannonsville Reservoir. Again, large swaths of trees were cut down and hail larger than baseballs was observed. Once the cell passed on to the east across Tompkins and Colchester townships, it weakened as tornado intensity decreased to F1. Significant tree damage was seen in both ground and aerial damage surveys along hilltop areas just north and east of Cannonsville Reservoir. Hundreds of tree tops were estimated to be twisted off with several utility poles also taken out in these areas. Further east towards Downsville, tornado intensity fluctuated between F0 and F1 with most of the damage to trees along ridge tops. Fortunately, the twister skipped along sparsely populated areas for the most part. As a result, structural damage and injuries were kept to a minimum. Once the cell reached the eastern end of Pepacton Reservoir, it weakened further with the tornado apparently lifting back into the cloud base. Emergency management officials estimated damage totals approaching a million dollars. The majority of the damage occurred in Deposit. The town of Deposit was placed under a local state of emergency for several days with this area also eventually receiving federal aid.
A thunderstorm briefly reached severe levels as it downed trees and power lines in and just outside of Horseheads shortly before 7:30 pm EDT.
A thunderstorm intensified to severe limits over southeastern portions of the county. Several large trees were toppled in Apalachin around 7:30 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm moving across the county blew down large trees in Newark Valley at 8:00 pm EDT.
A thunderstorm briefly reached severe levels across southeastern sections of the county as wind damage was produced. Trees and wires were downed in Margaretville around 8:05 pm EDT.
A cluster of severe thunderstorms moving across the county blew down trees and wires in Grahamsville at 8:33 pm EDT where a 61 mph wind gust was recorded by a skywarn spotter. In Monticello at around 9:00 pm EDT additional large trees were toppled.
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, Otsego | 1998-05-31 | 32 | Male | Under Tree | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New York in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for New York, 1998Warnings in New York, May 1998
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: 5650411, 5650484, 5650483, 5650412, 5650486, 5650487, 5650657, 5650742, 5650413, 5650488, 5650491, 5650489, 5650492, 5650485, 5650493, 5650490, 5650577, 5650578, 5650576, 5650661, 5650659, 5650743, 5650579, 5650658, 5650744, 5650662, 5650580, 5650582, 5650581, 5650663, 5650741, 5650586, 5650584, 5649486, 5650745, 5650656, 5650816, 5650818, 5649484, 5649485, and more.