Tornadoes · United States · New York

Tornadoes in Schenectady County, New York

6 tornadoes have crossed Schenectady County since 1950, 45th of the 61 counties in New York with a tornado on record, an average of one every 12.7 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 10. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

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

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

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

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    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. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

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

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    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.

Now

Tornadoes
6
Deaths
0
Injuries
10
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, May 22, 2014

The strongest

  1. F3, Schenectady and Saratoga counties, New YorkJune 24, 1960F3, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  2. EF3, Schenectady and Albany counties, New YorkMay 22, 2014EF3, 6.8 mi (11 km)
  3. EF2, Schenectady and Montgomery counties, New YorkMay 29, 2013EF2, 12.8 mi (21 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 6 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Schenectady County. Each year links to every tornado in New York that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20151EF0
20141EF3
201311EF2
20111EF1
19711F0
196019F3

Every tornado that crossed Schenectady County

6 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 9, 20152:41 PM EDTEF0Schenectady0.225
May 22, 20143:33 PM EDTEF3Schenectady6.8440
May 29, 20136:47 PM EDTEF2Schenectady12.81,7601
September 4, 20115:20 PM EDTEF1Schenectady7.0880
August 21, 19712:50 PM EDTF0Schenectady0.110
June 24, 19607:30 PM GMT-4F3Schenectady16.04409$5 million to $50 million

Nearby

Warnings in force in Schenectady CountyThe forecast for Schenectady CountyThe live radar over Schenectady CountyEvery county in New York

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.