During the day on May 29th, a warm front lifted northward across eastern New York. Although the day began cloudy, some breaks of sun started to occur by early afternoon.
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 ALY wrote it up.
During the day on May 29th, a warm front lifted northward across eastern New York. Although the day began cloudy, some breaks of sun started to occur by early afternoon. At the same time, a potent upper level disturbance over Ontario started to approach the region and a strong jet streak was located just to the north. With a moist southerly flow moving into the region at the surface, it became rather humid as well.
With all these ingredients coming together, thunderstorms developed across western and central New York by mid afternoon and they began to spread eastward into eastern New York by the late afternoon and evening hours. Many of the thunderstorms organized into a strong squall line, producing widespread wind damage, especially across northern portions of the Capital Region and in the mid-Hudson Valley. These thunderstorms produced a significant amount of lightning, as well, which in combination with the widespread wind damage, led to a significant number of power outages across the area. Many schools in the Capital Region were delayed or closed on Thursday, May 30th as a result of the power outages.
In addition, a few supercell thunderstorms developed ahead of the line. Three tornadoes were spawned by these supercell storms across the Capital Region and Schoharie County. The strongest tornado was rated EF2 by a National Weather Service storm survey, and tracked on the ground for 13 miles across eastern Montgomery and Schenectady Counties. One injury occurred as a result of this tornado, as a man was pulled out of a barn by the force of the wind. Significant damage to trees occurred, along with damage to high tension power line towers and roofs blown off houses. The other tornadoes were rated EF1, were rather short-lived and mainly caused damage to trees.
With the region already rather saturated from repeated thunderstorms over the past week, the additional heavy rainfall that occurred caused flash flooding in some areas. This caused roads to be closed due to being impassable by flowing water.
Thunderstorms pushed east of the area by around midnight, ending the threat of severe weather.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Albany, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 29, 4:15 PM EST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 515 PM EDT WED MAY 29 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A WARM FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION THROUGH THIS EVENING. A DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE INTO OUR REGION THIS EVENING. AHEAD OF THIS DISTURBANCE...THERE IS STILL THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF WHICH COULD BECOME LOCALLY SEVERE. THIS DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE ON BY TO OUR EAST...LEAVING US WITH PARTIAL CLEARING OVERNIGHT WITH SOME PATCHY FOG. THEN...SUMMER HEAT WILL ARRIVE TOMORROW...LASTING INTO THE WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 11 PM THIS EVENING/... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED THROUGH 11 PM EDT FOR OUR ENTIRE REGION. AS OF 515 PM EDT...BGM HAS ISSUED A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WARNINGS FOR CAYUGA...MADISON...ONEIDA AND ONONDAGA COUNTIES IN THEIR COUNTY WARNING AREA. IF THEY HOLD TOGETHER...THESE STORMS COULD WORK INTO OUR REGION AROUND 600 PM. THERE A FEW NON SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OR SHOWERS WORKING INTO SCHOHARIE COUNTY. OTHERWISE...JUST SOME ISOLATED SHOWER ACTIVITY IN THE REMAINDER OF OUR REGION. WE ARE UNDERNEATH A LOT OF DEBRIS CLOUDS...ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS AS IF SOME CLEARING WILL TAKE PLACE INTO THE CAPITAL REGION BY 6 PM AS LEAST TEMPORARILY. THE CELL IN ONEIDA COUNTY WAS WORKING INTO SOUTHERN HERKIMER COUNTY AND A SEVERE WARNING HAS JUST BEEN ISSUED FOR THAT CELL. JUST RECEIVE A REPORT OF A LOT OF TREES DOWN IN THE SYRACUSE AREA...SO THESE STORMS ARE STRONG TO LOCALLY SEVERE. A POTENT SHORT WAVE WAS WORKING FURTHER INTO WESTERN NEW YORK STATE...AND WILL WORK ACROSS OUR REGION THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. OUR AREA WILL WELL SOUTH OF THE UPPER LEVEL JET ENTRANCE REGION LATER ON THIS EVENING AS WELL. WE STILL CANNOT LET OUR GUARD DOWN AS THESE STORMS MARCH TOWARD OUR REGION. MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES IN OUR REGION HAVE BEEN MARGINAL...AROUND 6.0 CM/K BUT CLOSER TO 6.5 OR EVEN HIGHER IN THE VICINITY OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS. SBCAPES HAVE REACH AROUND 1000 J/KG OR HIGHER FROM THE CAPITAL REGION WEST AND SOUTH. WE ARE THINKING OUR SOUTHERN ZONES STILL HAVE THE BEST SHOT AT SEVERE...HOWEVER OUR WHOLE COUNTY WARNING AREA (CWA) WAS PLACED INTO THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH SINCE THE LOW LEVEL SHEAR AND WINDS ALOFT WERE STRONGEST TO OUR NORTHEAST...THE INSTABILITY HIGHEST TO OUR SOUTHWEST. WILL CONTINUE TO INCLUDE POSSIBLE HEAVY RAINFALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS...SINCE IT WAS ALREADY INCLUDED AND PWATS WILL BE AROUND 1.75 INCHES...SOMEWHAT ABOVE NORMAL BUT NOT OFF THE CHARTS. && .SHORT TERM /11 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... FOR LATER TONIGHT...WITH THE LOSS OF HEATING...AND WITH THE SHORTWAVE MOVING TO THE EAST OF THE AREA...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL WILL DIMINISH BY LATE THIS EVENING. IT SHOULD CLEAR OUT...ALTHOUGH THERE WILL BE POTENTIAL FOR PATCHY FOG...ESPECIALLY IN THOSE AREAS THAT RECEIVE RAINFALL. MIN TEMPS WILL BE IN THE 50S TO LOW 60S. FOR NOW JUST PLACED PATCHY FOG IN THE GRIDS IN THE USUAL "FOGGY" PLACES. ONCE WE SEE WHERE HEAVIER RAINFALL TAKES PLACE...WE WOULD GO AHEAD AND INCREASE FOG COVERAGE AND POSSIBLY CALL IT DENSE. LARGE BERMUDA HIGH WILL BUILD ACROSS THE SOUTH ATLANTIC...WHILE ALOFT A RIDGE WILL STRENGTHEN THROUGH FRIDAY. THIS WILL MEAN A SUMMERY AIR MASS WILL BE IN PLACE FOR ALL...BEGINNING TOMORROW AND LASTING INTO THE WEEKEND. H850 TEMPERATURES LOOK TO WARM TO ABOUT +17C. WITH GOOD MIXING TO AROUND 5000 FEET AND LOTS OF LATE MAY SUNSHINE...THIS WILL TRANSLATE TO HIGH TEMPERATURES APPROACHING 90 DEGREES IN MOST VALLEY LOCATIONS THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...POSSIBLY WELL INTO THE LOWER 90S MID HUDSON VALLEY AND LOWER LITCHFIELD. HIGH ELEVATIONS WILL EVEN WARM WELL INTO THE 80S. OVERNIGHTS LOWS THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT WILL BE SOMEWHAT MUGGY...GENERALLY LOWER TO MID 60S EXCEPT UPPER 50S IN SOME OF THE COOLER OUTLYING SPOTS. DEWPOINTS LOOK TO BE IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S...MODERATE BUT NOT EXCESSIVELY HIGH. APPARENT TEMPERATURES (WHICH COMBINE THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY) LOOK TO REACH THE MID TO UPPER 90S IN THE MID HUDSON VALLEY THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON SO HOT BUT NOT QUITE HIGH ENOUGH TO ISSUE ANY TYPE OF HEAT STATEMENTS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION. WITH A FAIRLY STRONG RIDGE OVERHEAD THERE SHOULD BE AN INHIBITING CAP ON ANY CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF SURFACE INSTABILITY BUT ANY CU THAT FORMS WILL LIKELY HAVE A HARD TIME BREAKING THE CAP. WE DID GO WITH SLIGHT CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS OUR HIGHER ELEVATIONS ON THURSDAY (WHERE WE FEEL HAVE THE BEST FOR PARCELS TO DEVELOP CONVECTION). BY FRIDAY...WE CONTINUED TO KEEP IT TOTALLY DRY FOR NOW AS THE RIDGE WILL BE STRONGEST AT THAT TIME. SATURDAY...THE MID LEVEL RIDGE BEGINS TO SLOWLY BREAK DOWN AND HEAD EAST. THEREFORE...WE CONTINUE WITH SLIGHT CHANCES EARLY...GOING TO 30 POPS FROM THE GREATER CAPITAL DISTRICT AND POINTS NORTHWEST DURING THE AFTERNOON...SLIGHT CHANCES FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... DURING THIS PERIOD...THE HEAT RIDGE WILL BREAK DOWN AS A FAIRLY STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHES ON SUNDAY. LONGER RANGE MODELS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD WITH TIMING OF THE FRONT...CROSS OUR REGION SUNDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY. AHEAD OF IT...IT LOOKS LIKE A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF WHICH COULD BE STRONG OR EVEN LOCALLY SEVERE. STILL TOO EARLY TO LOOK AT SPECIFIC CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS...HOWEVER IT LOOKS POTENTIALLY UNSTABLE WITH A PRETTY STRONG WIND ALOFT. WWE WILL MONITOR THIS SITUATION AS THE TIME NEARS. THIS FRONT COULD BRING A ROUND OF HEAVY RAINFALL AS WELL AS IT SLOWLY SLIDES THROUGH. NOTICEABLY COOLER AND SOMEWHAT DRIER AIR WILL FOLLOW ON MONDAY. BY TUESDAY...THE LATEST EUROPEAN SHOWS A ROBUST SHORT WAVE TROUGH MOVING TO OUR NORTH. THIS IS NOT DETECTED AS WELL BY THE GFS. SINCE THE EUROPEAN HAS FORECASTED THIS FEATURE FOR SEVERAL RUNS...WE WILL LEAN WITH ITS SOLUTION. THIS MEANS TUESDAY WILL BE A BRISK DAY BY EARLY JUNE STANDARDS. THERE MIGHT BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS. FOR NOW...INTRODUCE A SLIGHT CHANCE IN THE MOUNTAINS ONLY. H850 TEMPERATURES ON THE EUROPEAN MODEL LOOK TO COOL DOWN INTO THE LOW SINGLE NUMBERS...WHICH WOULD MEAN HIGHS ONLY IN THE 60S...MAYBE TOUCHING 70 IN THE HUDSON VALLEY SOUTH OF ALBANY. HIGHER TERRAIN WOULD ACTUALLY SEE HIGHS ONLY IN THE 50S. IT WILL TURN CHILLY TUESDAY NIGHT. FOR NOW...ENOUGH OF A GRADIENT MIGHT KEEP UP ENOUGH OF A BREEZE TO PREVENT FROST ANYWHERE. EVEN SO...WE WILL HAVE LOWS GENERALLY FROM THE UPPER 30S IN THE COLDEST SPOTS TO 40S. WEDNESDAY SHOULD BE MAINLY SUNNY WITH TEMPERATURES RECOVERING BACK TO NEAR 70 IN THE VALLEYS...60S HIGHER TERRAIN. && .AVIATION /21Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... HAVE TEMPERED THE TEMPO GROUPS UNTIL 22Z AT OUR TAF SITES...AND NOT AS MUCH GUSTS. CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WILL BE MAINLY VFR...THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING AS A WARM FRONT TRACKS THROUGH THE REGION. SOME ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS. THIS CONVECTION WOULD LIKELY RESULT IN MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS AS WELL AS INCREASED WINDS. HAVE INDICATED A TEMPO GROUP AT ALL TAF SITES WITH WINDS 25020G35 KTS. THE ORGANIZED CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OUT BY MID EVENING... SO JUST INDICATING VCSH AFTER 00Z. AFTER 06Z EXPECT SOME FOG WITH MAINLY MVFR CONDITIONS...EXCEPT LIFR AT KGFL. THU MORNING FA WILL BE CLEARLY IN THE WARM SECTOR WITH MAINLY P6M BKN035 CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH 18Z THU. WINDS WILL BE SOUTHWEST AT LESS THAN 10 KTS AT MOST TAF SITES THROUGH THIS EVENING EXCEPT HIGHER GUSTS IN CONVECTION AS MENTIONED EARLIER. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AND VARIABLE OVERNIGHT AND THEN WEST AROUND 10 KTS ON THURSDAY. OUTLOOK... THU-SAT...VFR/MVFR. SLIGHT CHC PM -TSRA EACH DAY. LATE NIGHT AND/OR EARLY MORNING MVFR/IFR ASSOC WITH FOG POSSIBLE. SUN-MON...VFR/MVFR. CHC -SHRA/-TSRA. && .FIRE WEATHER... RH VALUES LOOK TO BE NEAR 100 PERCENT THE NEXT SEVERAL NIGHTS WITH LOTS OF DEW...DROPPING TO BETWEEN 30 AND 40 PERCENT EACH AFTERNOON. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING...SOME OF WHICH COULD BE LOCALLY STRONG TO SEVERE WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. ANY ACTIVITY WILL DECREASE OVERNIGHT. AFTER THIS EVENING...ANY ADDITIONAL COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL ISOLATED AT BEST THROUGH FRIDAY...AND ANY OF THOSE CONFINED TO THE MOUNTAINS. THE WIND WILL SOUTH AROUND 10 MPH SHIFTING TO WEST THIS EVENING. LIGHT OVERNIGHT...THEN SOUTH OR SOUTHWEST 5 TO 15 MPH EACH OF THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...LIGHT OR CALM EACH OF THE NIGHTS. THE NEXT CHANCE OF A WETTING RAINFALL WILL BE ON SUNDAY WHEN A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT HEADS INTO OUR REGION. && .HYDROLOGY... NO WIDESPREAD HYDROLOGIC CONCERNS OVER THE NEXT FOUR DAYS ACROSS THE HSA. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP THIS EVENING SHOULD MOVE FAIRLY QUICKLY AT 30 MPH. THEY COULD CONTAIN HEAVY RAINFALL...BUT UNLESS THEY TRAIN OVER THE SAME AREA (LOOKING UNLIKELY AT THIS TIME)...THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING LOOKS VERY LOW. A THUNDERSTORM COULD ALWAYS PRODUCE LOCALIZED PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS AND AREAS OF POOR DRAINAGE. AFTER THIS EVENING...ANY SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM POSSIBILITY LOOKS VERY LOW...ISOLATED AT BEST. ANY THUNDERSTORM THAT DOES POP UP COULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL GIVEN THE HIGHER HUMIDITY BUT AGAIN THAT WOULD THE EXCEPTION RATHER THAN THE RULE THROUGH FRIDAY. THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE MIGHT INCREASE A LITTLE ON SATURDAY...AND A LOT ON SUNDAY AS A COLD FRONT NEARS THE REGION. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL LATE SUNDAY INTO EARLY MONDAY. FOR DETAILS ON SPECIFIC AREA RIVERS AND LAKES...INCLUDING OBSERVED AND FORECAST RIVER STAGES AND LAKE ELEVATIONS...PLEASE VISIT THE ADVANCED HYDROLOGIC PREDICTION SERVICE /AHPS/ GRAPHS ON OUR WEBSITE. && .ALY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...NONE. NY...NONE. MA...NONE. VT...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...HWJIV NEAR TERM...HWJIV SHORT TERM...HWJIV LONG TERM...HWJIV AVIATION...HWJIV/11 FIRE WEATHER...HWJIV HYDROLOGY...HWJIV
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY 338 PM EDT WED MAY 29 2013 CTZ001-013-MAZ001-025-NYZ032-033-038>043-047>054-058>061-063>066- 082>084-VTZ013>015-301100- NORTHERN LITCHFIELD-SOUTHERN LITCHFIELD-NORTHERN BERKSHIRE- SOUTHERN BERKSHIRE-NORTHERN HERKIMER-HAMILTON-SOUTHERN HERKIMER- SOUTHERN FULTON-MONTGOMERY-NORTHERN SARATOGA-NORTHERN WARREN- NORTHERN WASHINGTON-SCHOHARIE-WESTERN SCHENECTADY- EASTERN SCHENECTADY-SOUTHERN SARATOGA-WESTERN ALBANY-EASTERN ALBANY- WESTERN RENSSELAER-EASTERN RENSSELAER-WESTERN GREENE-EASTERN GREENE- WESTERN COLUMBIA-EASTERN COLUMBIA-WESTERN ULSTER-EASTERN ULSTER- WESTERN DUTCHESS-EASTERN DUTCHESS-NORTHERN FULTON-SOUTHEAST WARREN- SOUTHERN WASHINGTON-BENNINGTON-WESTERN WINDHAM-EASTERN WINDHAM- 338 PM EDT WED MAY 29 2013 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 241 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWESTERN CONNECTICUT...WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...EAST CENTRAL NEW YORK AND SOUTHERN VERMONT. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES UNTIL 11 PM... IN NORTHWESTERN CONNECTICUT...LITCHFIELD... IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...BERKSHIRE... IN EAST CENTRAL NEW YORK...ALBANY...COLUMBIA...DUTCHESS...FULTON... GREENE...HAMILTON...HERKIMER...MONTGOMERY...RENSSELAER...SARATOGA... SCHENECTADY...SCHOHARIE...ULSTER...WARREN...WASHINGTON... IN SOUTHERN VERMONT...BENNINGTON...WINDHAM... FOR THE LATEST UPDATES...PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/ALBANY
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
501 PM EDT WED MAY 29 2013
NYZ032-038-292200-
NORTHERN HERKIMER NY-SOUTHERN HERKIMER NY-
501 PM EDT WED MAY 29 2013
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN
HERKIMER COUNTY IN EASTERN NEW YORK...
AT 458 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PENNY SIZE HAIL...FREQUENT
LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAIN. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 12 MILES
NORTHWEST OF FRANKFORT...OR ABOUT OVER UTICA...AND MOVING EAST AT 45
MPH.
THE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
6 MILES NORTH OF FRANKFORT BY 510 PM EDT
NEWPORT...7 MILES SOUTH OF POLAND...7 MILES NORTH OF HERKIMER AND 7
MILES SOUTH OF COLD BROOK BY 515 PM EDT
MIDDLEVILLE BY 520 PM EDT
7 MILES NORTH OF LITTLE FALLS BY 525 PM EDT
DOLGEVILLE BY 535 PM EDT
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT
WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR NORTHERN CONNECTICUT AND WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
AND EASTERN NEW YORK AND SOUTHERN VERMONT.
LAT...LON 4322 7508 4328 7516 4330 7515 4334 7508
4334 7487 4328 7471 4318 7470 4314 7474
4313 7473 4311 7477 4308 7477 4300 7474
4293 7476 4299 7522 4306 7522
TIME...MOT...LOC 2101Z 264DEG 38KT 4312 7524
TAW/IRLThe Albany radar (KENX), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:43 UTC.
26 thunderstorm wind, 6 flash flood, 4 tornado, 1 hail, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter reported nickel to quarter size hail from a thunderstorm covering the ground in Fairfield.
A trained spotter reported wires down as a result of thunderstorm winds near Manheim Center.
A trained spotter reported trees down and across a road in Dolgeville as a result of thunderstorm winds.
A trained spotter reported trees and wires down on Argyle Road in Frankfort Center due to thunderstorm winds.
A trained spotter reported wires down on 5th Ave at Reese Road in Frankfort due to thunderstorm winds.
A trained spotter reported a tree down and on a house as result of thunderstorm winds in Ilion.
A trained spotter reported heavy rainfall led to flash flooding along Route 167 and Snells Bush Road. The roads were temporarily closed due to the flooding.
As a result of thunderstorm heavy rains, emergency management in Herkimer County reported a mudslide occurred on Route 28 between Herkimer and Middleville. The route needed to be temporarily closed.
A trained spotter reported heavy rainfall led to flash flooding in Dolgeville. Multiple culverts were washed out and there was 4 to 5 inches of water running across Main Street.
A member of the public reported a tree downed by thunderstorm winds was blocking Langley Road in Minaville.
A National Weather Service storm survey determine that a tornado touched down in near Bernaski Road in Scotch Bush in the town of Florida. The tornado was only on the ground in Montgomery County for just under one mile before it crossed into Schenectady County border while traveling east.
The tornado caused damage to a home along Bernaski Road, with half of the roof blown off. Grass was lifted and splattered on three sides of the home. Many windows were also blown out of the house. Nearby, a hundred year old barn was destroyed. A flagpole was ripped out of the ground. Trees were uprooted and/or split in half as well. Residents recalled seeing a funnel before taking cover.
A National Weather Service storm survey determined that a tornado tracked from the Montgomery County border through the towns of Duanesburg, Princetown, Rotterdam and into the city of Schenectady.
The tornado entered the county as an EF1 and strengthened to EF2 strength when reaching the hamlet of Mariaville Lake in the town of Duanesburg. Many trees were splintered in half or uprooted. Several barns and a shed were destroyed or heavily damaged. One barn was impaled by pieces of debris. An ATV vehicle was moved 100 feet by the force of the wind and an RV was blown over. Homes had damaged to roofs and windows were blown out of cars as well. One person was inside a barn at the time the tornado hit. He was picked up into the air by the tornado and injured by flying debris, suffering lacerations to his head and back.
Further east along the path, the tornado toppled or heavily damaged high tension power line towers that were 90 to 120 feet tall. The tornado weakened as it moved eastward into Rotterdam, but continued to cause significant damage to trees. The tornado crossed Interstate 90 (New York State Thruway) and weakened to EF0 strength as it passed close to the Rotterdam Square Mall. The tornado then entered the city of Schenectady and lifted around the vicinity of Hillhurst Park in the Bellevue section of Schenectady.
Trees and wires were reported down in Schoharie due to thunderstorm winds.
A National Weather Service storm survey determined that a tornado touched down along the side of a mountain ridge. Dozens of softwood and hardwood trees were sheared off or toppled in different directions. The tornado was an on the ground for nearly 1.6 miles, but due to the rural and mountainous location, only did damage to trees.
Trees and wires were reported down due to thunderstorm winds in Jefferson.
A trained spotter reported a tree down on Vanwormer Road in Rotterdam due to thunderstorm winds.
A member of the public reported through Twitter that thunderstorm winds toppled a large tree in Schenectady on State Street. A National Weather Service employee found additional wind damage along Balltown Road near Consaul Road as well.
A trained spotter reported a tree was downed due to thunderstorm winds on Willow Creek Road in Schenectady.
A member of the public reported a 40 foot tree down on Pinecrest Drive in Niskayuna as a result of thunderstorm winds.
Multiple trees were reported down on Vly Road in Niskayuna as a result of thunderstorm winds.
Two trees were reported down due to thunderstorm winds in Colonie.
Local fire department officials reported heavy rainfall from thunderstorms led to significant runoff of water and dirt onto roads in Scotia.
A large tree was reported to be knocked down due to thunderstorm winds on Willow Street in Guilderland.
A National Weather Service storm survey determined that an EF1 tornado touched down in Vischer Ferry. The tornado tore the roof off a well-built shed near the intersection of Riverview Road and Willow Springs Drive. In addition, the tornado blew out windows of a home, shifted a barn off its foundation and damaged approximately 100 trees. The tornado was on the ground just shy of one mile before lifting. The same supercell thunderstorm responsible for producing this tornado also produced another tornado further west across Montgomery and Schencetady counties.
A member of public reported a large tree fell on a house as a result of thunderstorm winds in Colonie.
Multiple trees were reported down in Latham due to thunderstorm winds, including one blocking Park Avenue.
Multiple large trees were reported knocked down or uprooted due to thunderstorms winds in a stretch along Route 9R between Cora Drive and St. Agnes Highway in Cohoes. One of the trees fell on a home. Many large branches were down along the roadway.
A weather spotter for a local television station reported a measured wind gust of 60 mph in Glenmont.
A National Weather Service employee estimated a thunderstorm wind gust to 60 mph in Clifton Park.
The roof to a residence hall at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy was reported to be damaged due to thunderstorm winds. Trees and power lines in Troy were also reported to be down as a result of thunderstorm winds.
Numerous trees were reported down due to thunderstorm winds in Brunswick.
Multiple trees were reported down and on house as result of thunderstorm winds in Raymertown.
A trained spotter reported that an inch and a half of rain from a thunderstorm fell in 20 minutes, resulting in localized flash flooding in Halfmoon.
Multiple trees were reported down in the city of Hudson as a result of thunderstorm winds. In addition, the steeple of a church built in 1869 also collapsed as a result of thunderstorm winds.
Multiple trees were reported down as a result of thunderstorm winds in Greenport Center.
Multiple roads were reported to be washed out in Raymertown due to flash flooding.
Multiple roads were reported to be washed out in Pittstown due to flash flooding.
Multiple trees were reported down in Pine Plains due to thunderstorm winds. One large tree fell across Carpenter Hill Road near Route 82.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New York in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for New York, 2013Warnings in New York, May 2013
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: 445886, 445892, 445893, 445894, 445895, 445896, 445899, 445924, 445900, 445902, 445879, 445880, 445904, 445885, 445917, 445905, 445929, 445906, 452641, 445909, 445910, 445932, 445907, 445884, 445918, 445914, 445903, 445911, 445921, 446738, 445922, 446686, 445923, 446662, 446665, 446684, 446681, 446674.