It's believed that tornadoes are a rare occurrence in Central New York, but they happen more often than people realize. Here's a peek into the history of tornadoes in our area.

Yes, tornadoes are not common in Central New York, but they're not as rare as most people think they are. Oneida County actually averages 1 tornado every year (granted, that's an average - some years we don't see any tornadoes). One thing is for sure though, Oneida County is a very low-risk area for this type of extreme weather.

The data collected is from Homefacts, and is ONLY focusing on Oneida County (we will get to the other counties around Central New York on a later date). Also, the information runs from 1950 - 2014... That means any tornadoes more recently will not be included, but this is still an interesting look at the history of tornadoes in Oneida County.

Since 1950, there have been 32 tornadoes that have touched down in the county. Out of all these tornadoes 5 deaths have occurred (4 of them during one tornado that touched down July 8th, 2014).

2011 and 2014 saw the most tornadoes in Oneida County - with 4 being reported each of those years.

The majority of tornadoes that touch down in the area are very weak, with a rating of EF0 or EF1. There have been a few stronger ones, but those are very rare.

The strongest tornado recorded in Oneida County fell under an F3 rating (which was before they started using the EF scale). This tornado occurred on May 2nd, 1983 in Boonville. Here's some of the destruction from the storm:

The earliest recorded tornado in Oneida County from this data, happened on June 29th, 1960 and was an F1. The next tornado to hit the area didn't happen until five years later - On August 2nd, 1965 and had a rating of F0.

Here are the dates of all the tornadoes reported and their strengths, according to Homefacts,

July 8, 2014 - EF2 --> The Most Deadly Tornado Reported
July 8, 2014 - EF1
July 8, 2014 - EF1
June 17, 2014 - EF1
July 23, 2012 - EF1
July 26, 2011 - EF0
July 26, 2011 - EF0
April 28, 2011 - EF1
April 26, 2011 - EF1
June 28, 2010 - EF0
May 17, 2008 - EF0
July 29, 2006 - F0 --> This is Before the Change of "EF" Ratings
Oct. 2, 2004 - F0
Aug. 26, 1996 - F0
May 26, 1994 - F1
July 29, 1993 - F0
June 15, 1993 - F0
May 15, 1993 - F0
Sept. 3, 1992 - F0
Aug. 28, 1990 - F1
July 23, 1990 - F2
June 24, 1989 - F1
July 11, 1984 - F0
July 11, 1984 - F0
July 11, 1984 - F0
May 2, 1983 - F3
July 21, 1980 - F1
June 18, 1970 - F0
July 12, 1969 - F1
July 1, 1967 - F0
Aug. 2, 1965 - F0
June 29, 1960 - F1

As you can see from the list above, it seems like tornado sightings go through a cycle of busy years, and the nothing for a few years. Pretty interesting to see the data of tornadoes in Oneida County - They're not as rare as they seem (even though they're still uncommon).

Were you surprised with amount of tornadoes that have hit Oneida County? Let us know in the 'comments section' at the bottom of this page.

 

 


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