Drone video of downtown Buffalo shows the aftermath of the EF-1 tornado spawned from a waterspout off Lake Erie on Monday. Several buildings were damaged along the mile-long path of destruction.
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Aerial imagery shows the path of destruction left by Buffalo, New York’s waterspout-turned tornado, including trees ripped in half and multiple buildings with significant damage.
A waterspout spun off Lake Erie on Monday afternoon near LaSalle Park, churning through downtown Buffalo with maximum wind speeds of 90 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo. The vortex was rated an EF-1 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, according to the NWS.
National Weather Service video shows a waterspout coming onshore into downtown Buffalo, New York on Monday ripping part of a roof of a building on Niagara Street.
A drone video recorded by Richard Hulburd shows the ongoing cleanup and aftermath of the tornado that caught Buffalo by surprise.
A roof was pulled off a building by an EF-1 tornado in downtown Buffalo, New York on Monday, August 5, 2024.
(@weather_buffalo via Storyful)
According to Buffalo police, there were several damaged buildings and traffic lights without power after the twister, but no one was injured.
Hulburd’s video shows the tornado ripped apart several trees, damaged a storefront and left debris littered across Niagara, Tupper and Oak streets.
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While Buffalo was under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning at the time of the waterspout, there was no Tornado Warning. When asked about the surprise tornado, the NWS Buffalo explained what happened on X, formerly Twitter.
Damage caused by an EF-1 tornado in downtown Buffalo, New York on Monday, August 5, 2024.
(@weather_buffalo via Storyful)
“Unfortunately, for this tornado, there was little to go off of on velocity data. This wasn’t a classic signature-on-radar type tornado,” the NWS said.
Monday’s tornado helped break New York‘s annual record with 26 twisters so far this year.
Waterspouts are pretty common on the Great Lakes, but it is rare to see one move ashore. These whirlwinds form when cold air moves across warmer water and are usually short-lived.