The remnants of Hurricane Beryl produced tornadoes across western New York on Wednesday. Significant damage was reported in parts of Erie County.
The combination of the remnants of Hurricane Beryl and a passing frontal boundary resulted in a dual severe weather risk for the Northeast, bringing a rare tornado threat along with the chance of significant flooding in a region that is not used to significant events.
Showers and thunderstorms started impacting the region on Tuesday but increased in severity on Wednesday, enough to trigger a regional tornado outbreak.
Throughout its journey across the U.S., Beryl produced a significant amount of tornadoes. Monday witnessed the highest number of Tornado Warnings ever issued on a single day in July, totaling 118. On Tuesday, several tornadoes were spotted in the Ohio Valley.
NOAA’S Storm Prediction Center issued several Tornado Watch boxes from central Pennsylvania through Maine, with other meteorologists warning about the flood potential.
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Satellite animation of tornadic thunderstorms moving into Northeast
(NOAA)
Remnants of Beryl bring heavy rains to areas devastated by 2023 floods
The event was reminiscent, to a degree, of flooding that overtook the region around a year ago when the NWS issued the region’s first-ever Flash Flood Emergency.
Many communities in Vermont saw between 5 and 10 inches of rainfall, helped in part by orographic lift.
This meteorological phenomenon occurs when warm air is forced to rise over a mountain range but cools and condenses as it lifts. This leads to the formation of clouds and rainfall, which can be quite heavy and unpredictable.
NWS meteorologists noted the event was not expected to be as widespread as the 2023 disaster, but all residents living in flood-prone areas should be ready to seek higher ground.
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Damage reported in western New York
Homes and trees were reported to be damaged in western New York, as thunderstorms with embedded tornadoes raced from west to east across the region.
New York State Troopers said they were assisting residents with storm damage in Chautauqua and Erie counties.
More than 10,000 power outages were reported in the immediate region, with nearly 50,000 outages reported in the Northeast.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the town of Eden was placed under a state of emergency due to widespread damage.
“Significant damage has been incurred at a number of farms, especially barns which are a total loss, and animals are injured. Thankfully there are no reports of human injuries,” Poloncarz posted on social media.
Poloncarz promised the cleanup would be immediate in the hard-hit areas.