Westchester County Tornado 2006
| Westchester County Tornado (2006) | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| date | July 12, 2006 , 3:30 pm - 4:03 pm EDT |
| Strength ( Fujita Scale ) | F2 |
| Total damage | estimated 12.1 million US dollars (2006) |
| Total sacrifice | no dead, 6 injured |
| Affected area | Rockland Counties and Westchester Counties , New York ; Fairfield County , Connecticut |
The 2006 Westchester County Tornado was the strongest and largest tornado in the history of Westchester County , New York . He landed in Rockland County on July 12, 2006 at 3:30 p.m. EDT (7:30 p.m. UTC ) and hiked 13 miles to southwest Connecticut over the next 33 minutes . The tornado reached ground contact on the bank of the Hudson River , which it then crossed as a waterspout for the next five kilometers . On the far bank, the tornado reached Westchester County, where it hit Sleepy Hollow as an F1 tornado. When crossing the town , the cyclone intensified into an F2 tornado and its diameter grew to almost 400 m. The tornado continued through the county, damaging numerous structures, until it crossed the Connecticut border at 4:01 p.m. EDT (8:01 p.m. UTC). Shortly after reaching that state , the tornado broke up in Greenwich at 4:03 p.m. EDT (8:03 p.m. UTC) . When the tornado reached Westchester County, it was the eighth known tornado since 1950 to touch or pull into the ground in that county.
Two barns and a warehouse were destroyed by the tornado, as was a large stained glass window. Numerous houses and businesses were damaged and thousands of trees were uprooted. No person was killed by the storm, but six were slightly injured. The property damage was at 12.1 million US dollars (in today's prices 15.3 million US dollars).
Meteorological overview
On July 12, 2006, a supercell storm formed over eastern New Jersey that was associated with a low pressure area in southwestern Ontario . The warming of the air in the tri-state region resulted in moderate instability, a key factor in the development of downpours and thunderstorms. Since the conditions for the formation of a tornado appeared favorable, the Storm Prediction Center issued tornado warnings at 12:40 p.m. EDT (4:40 p.m. UTC). At around 2:00 p.m. local time (6:00 p.m. UTC), a strong thunderstorm occurred near Carlstadt , which three quarters of an hour later formed a trunk, but did not cause any reported damage. This thunderstorm intensified and developed into a supercell when it reached New York. About 15 minutes later, a tornado warning was issued for southern Rockland and Westchester Counties and remained in effect until 4:15 p.m. EDT (8:15 p.m. UTC). At around 3:30 p.m. EDT (7:30 p.m. UTC), an F1 tornado landed on the Hudson River near Grand View-on-Hudson in Rockland County. The tornado, which was almost 100 m in diameter at the time, hit a jetty before setting off on its five-kilometer journey across the river as a waterspout. The tornado passed close to the Tappan Zee Bridge and reached Westchester County. It was the eighth tornado recorded in Westchester County.
The tornado reached the Town of Sleepy Hollow at around 3:37 pm EDT (7:37 pm UTC); Two minutes later, a gust with a wind speed of 93 km / h was registered on the periphery of the tornado. As the tornado neared New York State Route 9A , it intensified into an F2 tornado, generating winds of up to 150 mph, and hitting a warehouse. At the time, the tornado was estimated to be around 300 feet in diameter and was the strongest tornado ever recorded in Westchester County. Shortly thereafter, the tornado subsided. The length of the railway through Westchester County was measured to be approximately eight miles. After crossing the state line into Connecticut's Fairfield County , the tornado continued to weaken before the trunk lost contact with the ground in Greenwich at 4:03 p.m. EDT (8:03 p.m. UTC) after the tornado about 3.5 km had moved through Connecticut. The tornado may have landed again near Merritt Parkway shortly afterwards . Overall, the tornado covered a distance of almost 21 km on the ground in 33 minutes in both states.
Effects
On its way through Rockland and Westchester Counties in New York and Fairfield County in Connecticut, the tornado uprooted thousands of trees and damaged several structures, including two barns and a warehouse. Six people were slightly injured. The total property damage was determined to be 12.1 million US dollars (in 2006 prices; in today's prices 16.3 million US dollars).
Property damage was minor in Rockland County. A jetty and a boat were damaged by the tornado. After the cyclone crossed the Hudson River, it ended up in Westchester County, where most of the property damage occurred. He encountered the Town of Sleepy Hollow, where he damaged roofs and tore down the exterior wall cladding of numerous residential and commercial buildings. A three meter high stained glass window from the 19th century in St. Teresa of Avila Church broke. After that, the tornado hit the Town of Pocantico Hills in category F2 . Several trees were uprooted and two barns destroyed. The California Closet Warehouse was badly damaged; two concrete walls of the building were destroyed. An interior stairwell that some workers had used as a refuge collapsed, injuring four people. Some concrete blocks from the building were blown away and hit cars parked nearby. The roof of a Comfort Inn nearby was partially covered. A school was evacuated after a tornado warning was issued.
As the tornado crossed State Route 9A, it hit the vehicle on a police patrol. This was spun around several times before falling back to the ground; the police officer in the vehicle suffered only minor injuries. The tornado continued in an east-northeast direction and hit the Towns of Mount Pleasant and Hawthorne , where it damaged numerous trees and caused minor structural damage. Damage along the Saw Mill River Parkway caused authorities to close part of the road near Mount Pleasant. Trees fell on roads and railroad tracks, obstructing road traffic and disrupting Metro-North Railroad traffic . After passing through the Kensico Reservoir in Valhalla , where little damage was found, the tornado reached Connecticut, where it tore down numerous power lines, losing electrical power to around 10,000 county's residents. In New York, six people were slightly injured by the tornado, the property damage was determined to be 10.1 million US dollars (2006).
The weakening tornado ended its migration within the Town of Greenwich in Connecticut's Fairfield County. Thousands of trees were either uprooted or broken off along Connecticut's 3.5 km long hurricane track. Lighter damage was caused to several structures. In Greenwich, the tornado cut power to around 1,700 households and cut traffic on six streets. Most of the damage was concentrated on the northwest corner of Greenwich. Property damage of two million US dollars (2006) occurred in Connecticut.
consequences
As a result of the tornado, the Mayor of Sleepy Hollow declared the place a disaster area. Two hundred helpers were deployed to deal with the immediate aftermath of the storm. Consolidated Edison electrical contractors were dispatched to clean torn down power lines from the streets and restore power. By the evening of the day after the tornado, electricity had been renewed in all of Westchester County except about 600 households. Westchester County set up a crisis team to respond quickly to the event. Two days after the tornado, most of the roads were cleared and the power supply was completely renewed.
supporting documents
- ^ A b c Storm Prediction Center : Tornado History Project: Westchester, New York Tornadoes, 1950-2007 ( English ) Joshua Lietz (TornadoHistoryProject.com). 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Summary of Tornado ( English ) National Weather Service in Upton, New York. July 14, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ↑ Thompson: Severe Weather Watch # 593 (Tornado Watch) ( English ) Storm Prediction Center . July 12, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ↑ Stuart Hinson: July 12, Weather Event # 625643 (Funnel Cloud) ( English ) National Climatic Data Center . 2006. Accessed on October 14, 2010. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Stuart Hinson: July 12, Weather Event # 626587 (Tornado) ( English ) National Climatic Data Center . 2006. Accessed on October 14, 2010. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ A b Associated Press: Westchester County Storm: Let The Clean-Up Begin (English) , WCBS-TV . July 13, 2006.
- ↑ a b c Stuart Hinson: July 12, Weather Event # 626588 (Tornado) ( English ) National Climatic Data Center . 2006. Accessed on October 14, 2010. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c d e f Jim Fitzgerald: Weather Service confirms F-2 tornado roared through NY, Conn. on Wednesday (English) . In: USA Today , July 14, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ↑ a b Stuart Hinson: July 12, Weather Event # 606978 (Tornado) ( English ) National Climatic Data Center . 2006. Accessed on October 14, 2010. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Associated Press: Tornado Rips Through Suburban New York ( English ) Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc . July 13, 2006. Archived from the original on November 22, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ A b Lisa W. Foderaro: Tornado in Westchester Tosses Around Trees and Damages Property (English) . In: The New York Times , July 13, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ Rose Arce: Tornado hits north of Manhattan, Winds damage store, close highway; no serious injuries reported (English) , Cable News Network . July 13, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ↑ Avi Salzman and Anahad O'Connor: The Week; Rare tornado Snaps Trees and Power Lines (English) , The New York Times. July 16, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ↑ Eyewitness News: Weather Service confirms F2 tornado in area, Sleepy Hollow, Hawthorne hardest hit (English) , ABC News . July 13, 2006. Archived from the original on September 25, 2012 Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ Reka Bala and Glenn Blain: Tornado slams Lower Hudson Valley (English) , The Journal News . July 13, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ↑ Candice Ferrette: Westchester tornado twists many lives ( English ) The Journal News. July 15, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
