An upper level disturbance raced east from the Great Lakes during the afternoon and interacted with a very hot and humid airmass already sweltering over central New York. Clusters and lines of thunderstorms developed during the early evening over western New York and pushed into the Finger Lakes and then through the Western Catskills during the mid to late evening hours.
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 upper level disturbance raced east from the Great Lakes during the afternoon and interacted with a very hot and humid airmass already sweltering over central New York. Clusters and lines of thunderstorms developed during the early evening over western New York and pushed into the Finger Lakes and then through the Western Catskills during the mid to late evening hours. These thunderstorms packed strong wind gusts in excess of 60 mph as they raced across the area uprooting trees, damaging homes and knocking out power in many areas. These thunderstorms interrupted several summertime activities and scattered fairgoers in both Cayuga and Onondaga counties. Numerous tents and booths were blown down at the "Taste of Syracuse" festival in the city of Syracuse. Eleven people sustained minor injuries from flying debris at this location. Several boats were overturned in Owasco Lake, and at approximately 8:30 pm a 4 year old girl drowned underneath a capsized pontoon boat which was located on Otisco Lake in Onondaga county.
The Binghamton radar (KBGM), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:52 UTC.
10 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Tents blown down at the Cayuga County Fairgrounds located in Weedsport. Boats capsized at Owasco Lake. Trees and powerlines down throughout the county.
Numerous trees and powerlines blown down throughout the county with power outages reported in Syracuse, Liverpool, Lakeport, Manlius, Fayetteville and Tully. A few homes received minor damage from fallen trees and limbs in several of these towns.
Numerous tents and booths were damaged or blown down at the county Fairgrounds during the "Taste of Syracuse" festival.
A young girl drowned on Otisco Lake as a result of thunderstorm winds capsizing the party boat she was riding in.
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, Onondaga | 1999-07-03 | 4 | Female | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New York in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, July 1999
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: 5712668, 5712669, 5712760, 5712758, 5712763, 5712759, 5712761, 5712762, 5712764, 5712765.