Tornadoes · United States · New York · 2014

EF1 tornado, New London, New York, July 8, 2014

This EF1 tornado ran 1.0 miles across Oneida County on July 8, 2014, touching down at 6:33 PM EDT and reaching 600 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $30,000 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.

  1. EF065 to 85 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    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.

  4. 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.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. 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.

  7. 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
EF1
Date
July 8, 2014
Touchdown
6:33 PM EDT (22:33 UTC)
Path length
1.0 miles (1.6 km)
Path width
600 yards (549 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$30,000
County
Oneida County
Touchdown point
43.200, -75.600
Lift-off point
43.200, -75.600
Record number
1407081633-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A strong upper level system moving across the region led to the development of numerous severe thunderstorms across central New York during the afternoon and evening hours of July 8th. With a tremendous favorable atmospheric wind pattern present, severe thunderstorms resulted in widespread wind damage along with several tornadoes.

An EF1 tornado touched down with estimated maximum wind speeds of 80 to 90 MPH. It traveled with a path length of 1 mile and a maximum path width of 600 yards. This tornado damaged a pavilion, lightly damaged a home and uprooted numerous trees.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

17 minutes of warning. NWS BGM issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:16 UTC, 17 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 23:00 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 17:07 UTC and running to 00:00 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
17:07 UTC00:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchBGM
22:16 UTC23:00 UTCTornado WarningBGM
22:46 UTC23:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningBGM
22:53 UTC00:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningBGM

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 19:36 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

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

10.6 hours before the tornado, 155 km from the path. July 8, 2014.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 2014-07-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 315 joules per kilogram, CIN -74, lifted condensation level 951 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 2014-07-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 43 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 39 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
315 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-74 J/kg
Surface CAPE
78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
951 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
43 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
122 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1
0-3 km lapse rate
4.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Albany, NY (KALY), 00:00Z

1.4 hours after it, 155 km from the path. July 9, 2014.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Albany, NY at 00:00Z on 2014-07-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 369 joules per kilogram, CIN -75, lifted condensation level 1512 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Albany, NY at 00:00Z on 2014-07-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 288 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 37 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
369 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-75 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1230 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1512 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
288 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
360 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
6.2
0-3 km lapse rate
7.6 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Ft Drum radar (KTYX), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:31 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.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
21:30 UTCTSTM WND DMGBaldwinsvilleOnondaga, NYNUMEROUS UPROOTED TREES
21:50 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Wnw SyracuseOnondaga, NYMUCH OF ROOF PEELED OFF OF WEST END BAR AND GRILLE AT NYS FAIRGROUNDS. RADAR ESTIMATED TIME.
21:58 UTCHAIL 1SolvayOnondaga, NYALSO 50-55 MPH WINDS
22:00 UTCTSTM WND DMGEast SyracuseOnondaga, NYHEAVY DAMAGE TO A NATIONAL GRID SUB-STATION. LARGE SWATHS OF TREES DOWN.
22:00 UTCTSTM WND DMGEast SyracuseOnondaga, NYNUMEROUS TREES DOWN ON HOUSES
22:04 UTCDOWNBURST 75East SyracuseOnondaga, NYCONFIRMED 65-75 MPH MICROBURST IN EAST SYRACUSE. WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE AND A FEW SNAPPED POWER POLES.
22:04 UTCTSTM WND DMGEast SyracuseOnondaga, NYCONFIRMED 65-75 MPH MICROBURST IN EAST SYRACUSE. WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE AND A FEW SNAPPED POWER POLES.
22:05 UTCTSTM WND DMGSyracuseOnondaga, NYTREES AND POWER LINES DOWN ON FREMONT ROAD AND KIRKVILLE ROAD
22:07 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 S PalermoOswego, NYTREES DOWN
22:16 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Sw PinevilleOswego, NY11 INCH AND 30 INCH DIAMETER MAPLE TREES DOWN.
22:25 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Wnw StillwaterOswego, NYLINE OF TREES BROKEN OFF 30 FEET UP FROM GROUND
22:27 UTCTSTM WND DMGCanastotaMadison, NYTREES AND WIRES DOWN
22:33 UTCTORNADONew LondonOneida, NYEF1 TORNADO. 80-90 MPH WINDS. PATH LENGTH 1 MILE. MAX PATH WIDTH 600 YARDS. NUMEROUS UPROOTED TREES. HEAVILY DAMAGED PAVILION. LIGHTLY DAMAGED HOME.
22:39 UTCTSTM WND DMGSylvan BeachOneida, NYTREES AND WIRES ON HOUSE. POSSIBLE STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE.
22:50 UTCDOWNBURST 70RomeOneida, NYCONFIRMED 60-70 MPH MICROBURST THROUGH THE CITY OF ROME. SOME BRANCHES DOWN AND A FEW UPROOTED TREES.
22:50 UTCTSTM WND DMGRomeOneida, NYCONFIRMED 60-70 MPH MICROBURST THROUGH THE CITY OF ROME. SOME BRANCHES DOWN AND A FEW UPROOTED TREES.
22:50 UTCTSTM WND DMGRomeOneida, NYNUMEROUS TREES DOWN
22:51 UTCTSTM WND GST 58Oneida Co Reg ArptOneida, NY
22:51 UTCHAIL 1.25RomeOneida, NY
22:55 UTCTSTM WND DMGVeronaOneida, NYROOF OFF RESIDENCE ON RT. 26
23:00 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Ne PeterboroMadison, NY*** 3 FATAL *** POSSIBLE TORNADO. 3 CONFIRMED FATALITIES FROM THREE COLLAPSED HOMES. UNKNOWN INJURIES.
23:00 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Ne PeterboroMadison, NY*** 4 FATAL *** POSSIBLE TORNADO. 4 CONFIRMED FATALITIES FROM 3 COLLAPSED HOMES. 2 OTHER DESTROYED HOMES AS WELL. NWS SURVEY TO BE CONDUCTED WED.
23:02 UTCTORNADO2 Ne PeterboroMadison, NY*** 4 FATAL *** TORNADO IN SMITHFIELD NORTHEAST OF PETERBORO. AN EF2 TORNADO PRODUCED 4 FATALITIES IN SMITHFIELD. PATH WIDTH WAS 235 YARDS. LENGTH WAS 2.5 MILES. 3 HOMES DESTROYED AND 5 ADDITIONAL HOMES SUSTAINED SIGNIFI
23:10 UTCDOWNBURST 954 Ne RemsenOneida, NYDOWNBURST WINDS IMPACTED A 10 MILE LONG AREA... BY ABOUT 1 MILE WIDE. MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS SPORADIC UNTIL NEAR ROUTE 365 AND FAIRCHILD ROAD. JUST SOUTH OF THE STOP AND GO ON ROUTE 365... HUNDREDS OF HARDWOOD TREES WERE
23:10 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Ne RemsenOneida, NYDOWNBURST WINDS IMPACTED A 10 MILE LONG AREA BY ABOUT 1 MILE WIDE. MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS SPORADIC UNTIL NEAR ROUTE 365 AND FAIRCHILD ROAD. JUST SOUTH OF THE STOP AND GO ON ROUTE 365... HUNDREDS OF HARDWOOD TREES WERE UP
23:12 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Nne NorthwoodHerkimer, NYTREE ON WIRE ON FIRE IN THE VICINITY OF 400 WHEELERTOWN ROAD
23:25 UTCHAIL 1.75MarcyOneida, NYTREES ALSO UPROOTED
23:25 UTCTORNADODeerfieldOneida, NYA SMALL TORNADO TRACKED FOR APPROXIMATELY 1.3 MILES THROUGH A RESIDENTIAL AREA NEAR UTICA NY. THE TORNADO WAS RATED AS EF-1 WITH MAXIMUM ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS OF 90 MPH. DOZENS OF TREES WERE CHOPPED UP OR FELLED BY THE T
23:32 UTCTSTM WND DMGSchuyler CornersHerkimer, NYTREE BLOCKING ROAD
23:36 UTCTSTM WND DMGNewportHerkimer, NYTREE DOWN AND ON FIRE
23:36 UTCTSTM WND DMGPolandHerkimer, NYMULTIPLE TREES AND WIRES DOWN COUNTYWIDE
23:36 UTCTSTM WND DMGPolandHerkimer, NYMULTIPLE TREES AND WIRES DOWN COUNTYWIDE...TREE AND WIRES ON HOUSE AND WIRES ON ROAD IN POLAND-NORWAY
23:45 UTCTSTM WND DMGWest WinfieldHerkimer, NYTREES AND WIRES DOWN
23:49 UTCTSTM WND DMGCedarvilleHerkimer, NYTREES AND WIRES DOWN
00:32 UTCTSTM WND DMGSchuyler CornersHerkimer, NYTREE BLOCKING ROAD
00:36 UTCTSTM WND DMGNewportHerkimer, NYTREE DOWN AND ON FIRE

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2014 tornado in New YorkEvery tornado in New York since 1950Warnings in force in New York nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of July 8, 2014

13 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 81:33 PM EDTEF1Medina, OH8.3200$78,000
July 81:43 PM EDTEF1Medina, OH1.6200$20,000
July 82:15 PM EDTEF1Mahoning, OH5.4200$225,000
July 82:48 PM EDTEF1Mercer, PA2.5150$75,000
July 83:25 PM EDTEF1Monongalia, WV2.050$50,000
July 83:55 PM EDTEF1Taylor, WV4.4150$50,000
July 86:15 PM EDTEF2Sullivan, PA6.7500$105,000
July 86:48 PM EDTEF1Lewis, NY12.3300$250,000
July 87:00 PM EDTEF0Luzerne, PA0.950$5,000
July 87:02 PM EDTEF2Madison, NY2.52354$600,000
July 87:05 PM EDTEF1Susquehanna, PA1.4150$100,000
July 87:25 PM EDTEF1Oneida, NY1.365$110,000
July 88:40 PM EDTEF0Warren, NY1.1100

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.