Did A Tornado Touch Down in Westernville? Here’s What We Know

UPDATE 7/11/21: A tornado touched down at the Woods Valley Ski Area and then moved northeast into downtown Westernville. The tornado caused considerable damage along Main street. Several roofs were blown off houses and numerous trees were uprooted and snapped. The tornado continued to move northeast crossing the Mohawk River and paralleled east of River Road, leading to crop damage and a roof torn off of a barn before lifting.

The National Weather Service says the tornado was an EF1 with estimated winds of 105 mph. They thanked the Volunteer Fire Company of Western and the Oneida County Sheriff`s department for their assistance with the survey today.

A severe storm ripped through Westernville, leaving a long trail of damage and power outages. The National Weather Service out of Binghamton is expected to send a team to the area to assess the situation.

The National Weather Service has issued the following statement:

...Preliminary Storm Survey is scheduled for 7/9/21 for the area near Westernville in Oneida County, NY...

The National Weather Service office in Binghamton, NY will conduct a storm survey on 7/9/21 for the area near Westernville in Oneida County, NY. The survey is in relation to the severe thunderstorms that moved through the area on 7/8/21.

A final assessment, including the survey results, is expected to be completed and transmitted via a Public Information Statement by early evening Friday.

WKTV Chief Meteorologist Bill Kardas reports there is evidence a tornado may have touched down in Westernville, which is north of Rome near the Delta Reservoir.

Based on the rotation on the WKTV StormTracker 2 doppler radar and damage reports from residents,... there’s good reason to believe a tornado was on the ground...Bill says the rotation went across Route 46 to Gifford Hill Road in the area of Woods Valley. [WKTV]

The Oneida County Sheriff's Office closed Route 46 other roads due to extensive damage from the storm.

A few weeks ago, the National Weather Service in Binghamton confirmed an EF-1 tornado in Dryden, New York, on Monday, June 21. It touched down in Yellow Barn State Forest at 5:38 PM and ended at 5:49 PM. The tornado was 85 yards wide, traveled 2.8 miles, and contained estimated peak winds of 90 mph.

Another tornado touched down in Lee Center on Thursday, June 3. "This tornado was very unusual in that it came from a shower, no thunder was reported," the National Weather Service tweeted.

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