Tornadoes · United States · New York · 2009
EF2 tornado, Quaker Settlement to South Lebanon, New York, May 16, 2009
From Quaker Settlement to South Lebanon, this EF2 tornado ran 5.3 miles across Madison County on May 16, 2009, touching down at 4:34 PM EDT and reaching 150 yards wide. It killed nobody and injured 1, and did $50,000 of property damage.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mphthis tornado
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
The record
- Rating
- EF2
- Date
- May 16, 2009
- Touchdown
- 4:34 PM EDT (20:34 UTC)
- Lifted
- 4:47 PM EDT (20:47 UTC)
- On the ground
- 13 minutes
- Path length
- 5.3 miles (8.5 km)
- Path width
- 150 yards (137 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- $50,000
- County
- Madison County
- Touchdown point
- 42.750, -75.770
- Lift-off point
- 42.770, -75.670
- Record number
- 0905161434-01
What the Weather Service recorded
A cold front moved east across New York state during the evening. Ahead of the front, showers and thunderstorms developed. Two of the thunderstorms produced tornadoes, with other scattered severe thunderstorms producing reports of wind damage and large hail.
A NWS storm survey team determined that damage in the county was caused by a severe thunderstorm that produced a tornado. Most of the damage along the path was to trees. Significant damage occurred approximately 1 mile south of the Village of Georgetown. A large barn was destroyed, a roof was torn off a house, several outbuildings and sheds were destroyed, and power poles were snapped. There was one injury at this location. A second farm on Upham Road was hit, destroying a large barn, a silo and a couple of sheds. Some livestock were lost at this location. A farmstead near Niles Road also received damage to a silo, and damage to the home's roof and siding.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Binghamton, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 16, 3:19 PM EDT, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 16, 3:19 PM EDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 319 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS LAKE ONTARIO WILL KEEP THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST THROUGH THIS EVENING. AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM DROPPING INTO LOWER ONTARIO, WILL BRING A COOL, BUT DRY WEATHER PATTERN TO NY AND PA THROUGH MID WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 8 PM THIS EVENING/... LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS FIRED ALONG PRE- FRONTAL TROF. WE BELIEVE THE SEVERE THREAT WILL BE CONFINED TO STORMS ALONG AND CLOSE TO THIS PRE-FRONTAL TROF, AS STRATUS MOVING IN FROM THE WEST SHOULD STABILIZE ATMOSPHERE LATER. BEST CHANCE FOR SUPER CELLULAR CONVECTION AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE FROM FINGER LAKES TOWARD ONONDAGA AND WESTERN ONEIDA COUNTIES, WHERE LOW LEVEL SHEAR IS POTENT AND CAPES HAVE CLIMBED TO AROUND 1000 J/KG. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... MESOSCALE ANALYSIS DEPICTS A SMALL AREA OF 800-1300 J/KG CAPES DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHWESTERN NY, COINCIDENT WITH DIURNAL HEATING UNDER CLEARING SKIES. THIS BREAK IN THE CLOUDS IS MOVING NORTHEAST TOWARD THE FINGER LAKES REGION, AND WILL SOON CAUSE DESTABILIZATION OVER OUR NORTHERN FORECAST AREA. PLENTY OF CLOUDS FOLLOW IN ITS WAKE HOWEVER, AND THIS WILL MUTE CAPES SUBSTANTIALLY. RUC13 APPEARS TO BE PRODUCING A VERY REALISTIC PICTURE, GENERATING 800-1100 J/KG CAPE VALUES FROM THE CENTRAL SOUTHERN TIER UP THE LAKE PLAIN FOR THE AFTERNOON HOURS. STRONG KINEMATICS ARE ALREADY IN PLACE. BRN SHEAR VALUES OF 70 TO 100 AND SR HELICITY VALUES OF 350-500 OVER MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA, ESPECIALLY THE NORTHERN HALF, SPELL OUT THE NEED FOR ADDED CONCERN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SHOULD AMPLE INSTABILITY BE REALIZED, ORGANIZED SEVERE CONVECTION IS LIKELY. THE THREAT FOR SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES WILL BE HIGHEST LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING FROM THE SOUTHERN FINGER LAKES TOWARD SYRACUSE. && .SHORT TERM /8 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... THUNDERSTORM THREAT WILL MOVE EAST OF I-81 THIS EVENING AS COOLER, MORE STABLE AIR FILTERS INTO WESTERN NEW YORK. COLD FRONT WILL STALL ACROSS THE CATSKILLS AND POCONOS REGION EARLY SUNDAY MORNING, SO WE WILL KEEP A FEW SHOWERS OVER THIS AREA THROUGH ABOUT 9-10 AM. UPPER LEVEL VORTEX WILL DROP INTO ONTARIO AND QUEBEC ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON, REINFORCING THE COOL/DRY AIR ADVECTION INTO NY/PA. MODEL SOUNDINGS ARE UNUSUALLY DRY FOR THIS LATE INTO MAY, SO WE WILL GO FOR MAINLY SUNNY SKIES SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE PATTERN WILL HOLD THROUGH MONDAY. WE WILL NEED TO WATCH FOR FROST/FREEZE CONDITIONS EARLY MONDAY MORNING. BL-850 TEMPS ARE ANOMALOUSLY COLD, SKIES SHOULD BE COMPLETELY CLEAR, AND WINDS WILL BECOME LIGHT AFTER SUNSET. THIS WILL ALLOW RAPID NOCTURNAL COOLING WITH PROJECTED MINIMUM TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 31F AND 36F. ISOLATED COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED IN THE SHELTERED VALLEYS, PARTICULARLY TO THE EAST OF INTERSTATE-81. MONDAY WILL BE SUNNY, BUT STILL COOL. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH NEW YORK AND REACH JUST INTO PA TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING WHICH WILL BRING THE CHANCE FOR SOME RAIN SHOWERS. A RIDGE WILL BUILD IN BEHIND THE FRONT BEGINNING WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO GRADUALLY WARM THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. ANOTHER COLD FRONT MAY TRY TO PUSH INTO THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY BRINGING YET ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS TO THE CWA. && .AVIATION /19Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... MOSTLY MVFR AND VFR CONDITIONS ARE IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON. THE TAFS REFLECT THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE STORMS MOVING THROUGH THE AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. THIS IS REFLECTED BY THE TEMPO GROUP WITH HIGH WINDS POSSIBLE. THIS IS EXPECTED TO BE THE MAIN THREAT. THERE IS ALSO THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW OF THE STORMS TO HAVE PENNY TO NICKLE SIZED HAIL. THE ATMOSPHERE IS EXPECTED TO STABILIZE BEHIND THIS LINE OF STORMS. HOWEVER THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER SEVERE STORM THROUGH 8PM EDT THIS EVENING. VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN THROUGH THE NIGHT AND BE IN PLACE TOMORROW. OUTLOOK... SAT NIGHT...EARLY EVENING RESTRICTIONS LIKELY IN THUNDERSTORMS BEFORE 03Z. MVFR/IFR FOG POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT IN AREAS THAT RECEIVE HEAVY RAIN. SUN THRU WED...VFR. && .FIRE WEATHER... NO FIRE WEATHER PROBLEMS ARE ANTICIPATED INTO SUNDAY. WITH DRY AIR AND HIGH PRESSURE FUELS WILL DRY DURING THE DAY...SUNDAY TO TUESDAY. AFTERNOON MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL BE AROUND 30 PERCENT SUNDAY TO TUESDAY. AFTER A WINDY DAY SUNDAY...MONDAY AND TUESDAY WILL HAVE WINDS UNDER 15 MPH. && .BGM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...NONE. NY...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...DJP NEAR TERM...DJP SHORT TERM...DJP LONG TERM...SLI AVIATION...SLI FIRE WEATHER...
Hazardous weather outlook, May 16, 2:32 PM EDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 232 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 NYZ009-015>018-022>025-036-037-044-171845- NORTHERN ONEIDA-YATES-SENECA-SOUTHERN CAYUGA-ONONDAGA-STEUBEN- SCHUYLER-CHEMUNG-TOMPKINS-MADISON-SOUTHERN ONEIDA-CORTLAND- 232 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 311 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK. .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. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG WIND GUSTS AND MAYBE SMALL HAIL. ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DUE TO DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP TO NEAR FREEZING EARLY MONDAY...LIKELY RESULTING IN AREAS OF FROST. MORE FROST IS POSSIBLE TUESDAY MORNING WITH LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE 30S. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. NYZ045-046-055>057-PAZ038>040-043-044-047-072-171845- CHENANGO-OTSEGO-TIOGA-BROOME-DELAWARE-BRADFORD-SUSQUEHANNA- NORTHERN WAYNE-WYOMING-LACKAWANNA-LUZERNE-SOUTHERN WAYNE- 232 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 311 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. .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. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG WIND GUSTS AND MAYBE SMALL HAIL. ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DUE TO DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP TO NEAR FREEZING EARLY MONDAY...LIKELY RESULTING IN AREAS OF FROST. MORE FROST IS POSSIBLE TUESDAY MORNING WITH LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE 30S. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. NYZ062-PAZ048-171845- SULLIVAN-PIKE- 232 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG WIND GUSTS AND MAYBE SMALL HAIL. THE CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW IN THIS AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP TO NEAR FREEZING EARLY MONDAY...LIKELY RESULTING IN AREAS OF FROST. MORE FROST IS POSSIBLE TUESDAY MORNING WITH LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE 30S. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. JAB
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 16, 1:36 PM EDT, 2 hours 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 136 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 NYZ017-018-161815- CAYUGA NY-ONONDAGA NY- 136 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CENTRAL CAYUGA AND NORTHWESTERN ONONDAGA COUNTIES... * AT 136 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR PLAINVILLE...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. * THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... VAN BUREN AT 145 PM EDT... BALDWINSVILLE AND VILLAGE GREEN AT 150 PM EDT... EUCLID AND BAYBERRY AT 155 PM EDT... CLAY AT 200 PM EDT... BREWERTON AND CICERO AT 205 PM EDT... FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY PADAVONA
Special weather statement, May 16, 1:38 PM EDT, 2 hours 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 138 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 NYZ015>017-161830- CAYUGA NY-SENECA NY-YATES NY- 138 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CENTRAL CAYUGA...NORTHEASTERN YATES AND NORTHERN SENECA COUNTIES... * AT 136 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF KENDAIA...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. * THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... WATERLOO AND PACKWOOD CORNERS AT 145 PM EDT... SENECA FALLS AND MAGEE AT 150 PM EDT... CAYUGA AND CANOGA AT 155 PM EDT... FOSTERVILLE AND MAPLETON AT 200 PM EDT... AUBURN AND THROOPSVILLE AT 205 PM EDT... SENNETT AND MELROSE PARK AT 210 PM EDT... FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY PADAVONA
Special weather statement, May 16, 2:50 PM EDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 250 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 PAZ038-161945- BRADFORD PA- 250 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHERN BRADFORD COUNTY... * AT 248 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR SYLVANIA...AND MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. * THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... SYLVANIA AT 255 PM EDT... TROY AT 300 PM EDT... LEONA AND SPRINGFIELD AT 305 PM EDT... WETONA AND WEST BURLINGTON AT 310 PM EDT... BURLINGTON AND BENTLEY CREEK AT 315 PM EDT... EAST SMITHFIELD AND RIGGS AT 320 PM EDT... WILAWANA AT 325 PM EDT... MILAN AND ULSTER AT 330 PM EDT... THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE AND PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND/OR DAMAGING WINDS. SI
Special weather statement, May 16, 3:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 300 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 NYZ018-036-037-044-045-162100- CHENANGO NY-CORTLAND NY-MADISON NY-ONEIDA NY-ONONDAGA NY- 300 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN CORTLAND... NORTHWESTERN CHENANGO...SOUTH CENTRAL ONEIDA...SOUTHEASTERN ONONDAGA AND SOUTHERN MADISON COUNTIES... * AT 357 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR TRUXTON...AND MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. * THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... APULIA AT 405 PM EDT... TRIPOLI AT 410 PM EDT... CUYLER AND KEENEY AT 415 PM EDT... DERUYTER AT 420 PM EDT... SHEDS AT 435 PM EDT... OTSELIC AT 440 PM EDT... GEORGETOWN AT 445 PM EDT... ERIEVILLE AND NELSON AT 450 PM EDT... THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE AND PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND/OR DAMAGING WINDS. SI
Local storm report, May 16, 3:19 PM EDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY
319 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0313 PM HAIL KING FERRY 42.67N 76.62W
05/16/2009 E0.75 INCH CAYUGA NY PUBLIC
HIGH WINDS OF UNKNOWN SPEED ALSO REPORTED.
&&
JABSpecial weather statement, May 16, 4:26 PM EDT, 8 minutes before
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</html>The air that afternoon
The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.
Albany, NY (KALY), 12:00Z
8.6 hours before the tornado, 155 km from the path. May 16, 2009.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -56066 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1074 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 36 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 122 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 157 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 3.3 K/km
The surface observations
Norwich (OIC), 27 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 UTC |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Binghamton radar (KBGM), 66 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:33 UTC.
Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track
Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2009 tornado in New YorkEvery tornado in New York since 1950Warnings in force in New York nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of May 16, 2009
3 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.