EF0 tornado, East Islip to Quiogue, New York, November 13, 2021

1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

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

2. EF186 to 110 mph

   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.

Rating

EF0

Date

November 13, 2021

Touchdown

3:40 PM EST (20:40 UTC)

Lifted

3:42 PM EST (20:42 UTC)

On the ground

2 minutes

Path length

1.3 miles (2.1 km)

Path width

35 yards (32 m)

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

Property damage

$100,000

County

Suffolk County

Touchdown point

40.787, -72.942

Lift-off point

40.799, -72.924

Record number

2111131440-01

A strong and slow moving frontal boundary, along with a potent mid level disturbance triggered strong to severe thunderstorms which impacted Southeastern New York. Six tornadoes also touched down across Long Island with one in Nassau County and five across Suffolk County.

Survey team confirmed an EF0 tornado in East Islip, NY, a narrow tornado of 50 yard width likely touched down at the southwestern end of Hollins Lane, and then continued northeast over Brushwood Court, Bayview Avenue, and Josephine Lane, and then finally over Kay Court, before lifting over the John F. Kennedy Elementary School sport fields. A few dozen large oak, maple, and pine trees were uprooted and laying in east or northeast direction. Several trees were also snapped at the trunk or had large branches sheared off along this path. In addition, minor roof and siding damage was observed for several houses, as well as leaf splater on south and east sides of several houses. This tornadic circulation was likely on the northwest side of a 400 yd. swath of 65 to 75 mph west to southwest straight line winds causing isolated large trees to be uprooted and several large limbs broken.||As mentioned, the tornado likely lifted over the John F. Kennedy Elementary School sport fields, becoming a funnel cloud. This funnel cloud may have briefly touched down as a weak tornado in the Frog Lane and Jade Street area of Oakdale, resulting in a very large, but partially rotted oak tree to topple onto and destroy a home. The funnel cloud was videotaped by the public, looking southwest from the Old Navy Department store on Johnson Avenue (just north of Sunrise Highway), but no further damage was noted with this storm.||Based on radar velocity signatures and damage orientation in relation to the general northeast motion of the parent storm, this was determined to be tornado damage, with degree of damage indicating EF0 damage.

A National Weather Service Storm Survey team in coordination with|Suffolk County Fire and Rescue and Emergency Services confirmed an EF0 |Tornado in North Bellport, NY. A narrow tornado likely touched down in a forest |of pine trees to the south of Sunrise Highway, between Bellport Avenue and Martha Avenue Ballpark leaving a 35 yard northward tracking path of sheared tree limbs and snapped tree trunks towards Sunrise Highway.||Thereafter the tornado likely tracked northeast across Sunrise Highway heading towards The Brookhaven Landfill. In this process it flattened the Sunrise Highway Exit 56 sign, on the westbound side of Sunrise Highway just to the east of the station road off ramp. This approximate location corresponds to a public video showing a condensation funnel and considerable tree debris moving northeast across Sunrise Highway. ||The tornado likely tracked or skipped northeast across the landfill, before causing extensive roof damage and blowing out the north facing garage doors of the Brookhaven Recycling Center. The south side of the recycling center is always wide open, likely allowing for south to southwest winds around the tornadic circulation to|enter the building and cause the extensive roof and garage damage. This Recycling Center is located on the Northeast side of the landfill, which was the end of the visible tornadic path.||Based on radar velocity signatures and damage orientation in relation to the general northeast motion of the parent storm, the damage survey above is determined to be EF0 tornadic damage with winds of 70 to 85 mph.

A National Weather Service Storm Survey Team confirmed an EF1 tornado in Shirely, NY. A tornado likely touched down just southwest of Francine Place and Mastic Blvd, travelling east northeast along the Long Island Railroad tracks and adjacent backyards. |Numerous oak, maple, and pine trees were uprooted and laying in a northerly direction. Several trees were also snapped at the trunk or had large branches sheared off along this path. In addition, minor roof and siding damage was observed for several houses, as well as leaf splatter on south and east sides. The damage swath at this point was only about 25 yards wind. The tornado then hooked northeast over the Lidl Supermarket (Southwestern corner of the Shopping Center Complex), |flipping over a 5 Ton air handler unit on the roof, before tearing off the parapet and collapsing the covered walkway of the Chiptole Mexican Grill on the northeast corner of the Shopping Center. The damage path remained about 25 yards, but damage was consistent with EF1 winds of 95 to 105 mph.||Public video showed the apparent tornadic circulation lifting northeast across the intersection of William Floyd Parkway and Montauk Highway towards the Applebee's Shopping Center, with debris being thrown in one direction then another. Siding and Shingles from the Chiptole were thrown northeast about 250 yards across this |intersection and into The Applebee's Shopping Center. Other than the debris, some small trees were uprooted in the parking lot and laying to the northeast and flashing was ripped off the south side of the Applebee's and unoccupied adjacent retail store. The tornadic circulation may have briefly lifted at this point, with about a 50 yd. swath of 65 to 75 mph straight line winds across this shopping center. ||The tornadic circulation then touched down once again to the northeast of the Applebee's Shopping Center lifting the entire roof off a 2 story multi family residence on the corner of Grand Avenue and McGraw Street. The roof was tossed as far as 150 yards to the north, into the backyard of neighboring houses to the north on Grand Avenue. One section of this roof, actually impaled itself into the side of the neighboring house to the north, and made such a strong impact that it skewed the vertical structure of that house. Based on the extent of structural damage to these houses, and adjacent 50 yd. swath of uprooted, snapped or sheared large trees, this damage was consistent |with EF1 winds of around 100 mph. The tornado strength likely peaked at this point. The entirety of the EF1 Tornadic damage path to the southwest and northeast of Montauk High was around 1/4 mile.||The tornado would then make its way north across Sunrise Highway, skipping its way northeast for the next 4 1/2 miles, with areas of damage consistent with an EF0. On its path it continued northeast through Brookhaven Calabro Airport, flipping over or shift a few small single engine planes, thereafter it moved northeast through Pancho Drive, Titmus Drive, Abbott Avenue, and Burney Blvd just to the east northeast of the airport. Several large trees were uprooted, trunks snapped or branches sheared in an approximately 50 yd. path, with accompanying minor roof, siding and fencing damage in this area. The tornado likely skipped north to the intersection of Barnes Roads and Moriches-Middle Island Road with a small area of additional tree damage, before making a final nearly mile long and 50 yd. wide tornado damage path northeast across Pine Hills Golf Course, and then through the neighborhoods of Foreston Circle, Eagle Lane, Nestledown Avenue, Wading River Road, Tupelo Street and then across to the intersection of Silas Woods Road and South Street before finally lifting. Several dozens of large hard and soft wood trees were uprooted and laying in a Northerly or Northeast |direction, as compared to the east northeast direction of storm movement. In addition, numerous tree tops were completely sheared to stubs and tree trunks snapped. Minor roof and siding damage was observed for numerous houses along this path, with several fences and chimneys destroyed. A large north / south facing camper on Tupelo Drive as rolled westward on its side. The described one mile long, 50 yd. wide convergent tornadic damage pattern was consistent with an EF1 tornado with 85 to 95 |mph winds and was flanked to the southeast by a 500 yd. path of scattered tree and powerline damage and minor structural damage consistent with 65 to 75 mph southwesterly straight line winds.

A National Weather Service Storm Survey Team in coordination with Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services confirmed an EF0 Tornado in Remsenburg, NY to Westhampton, NY area. A narrow tornado of 35 yd. width likely touched down at the corner of Ring Neck Road and South Country Road and then continued northeast across Riverview and Crestview Drive, then continuing northeast over Brushy Neck Lane and Jagger Lane Court, up to the bend in Montauk Highway near East Ridge Court.|Several large hardwood trees were uprooted and laying in northeast direction along this path, snapped at the trunk or had large branches sheared, with collateral power line and power pole damage. Several smaller shrubs and young trees were also flattened to the ground. In addition, minor roof and siding damage was observed for several houses along this path. Thereafter the tornado likely skipped along continuing northeast across the cemetery at Station Road to the union of Hazelwood and Rodgers Avenue and South Perimeter Road, with the above describes damage being more intermittent.||The most extensive structural damage occurred at the end of the visible tornadic path at the Department of Public Works Salt Barn on South Perimeter Road on the south side|of Westhampton Gabreski Airport. The north facing reinforced cinder wall of the Salt Barn was blown out. Indications are the roof may have briefly lifted as south to southwest winds with the tornadic circulation blasted into the south facing opening, culminating in the north wall being blown out.||Based on radar velocity signatures and damage orientation in relation to the general northeast motion of the parent storm, the damage survey above is determined to be EF0 tornadic damage with winds of 70 to 85 mph.

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

20 minutes of warning. NWS OKX issued a tornado warning for this county at 20:20 UTC, 20 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 20:45 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 17:27 UTC and running to 22:19 UTC.

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 Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 19:48 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 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.

Brookhaven Airport/Shirley (HWV), 6 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The Brookhaven radar (KOKX), 10 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:37 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.

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

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

The live radar over the trackEvery 2021 tornado in New YorkEvery tornado in New York since 1950Warnings in force in New York nowThe forecast where you are

10 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

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.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.