The National Weather Service has confirmed that not one, but two EF-1 tornadoes hit Oneida County in the early morning of June 22.
The first tornado touched down at 3:58 a.m. and was previously confirmed by the National Weather Service in Binghamton, and traveled southwest for 2.43 miles, killing three people, while the second tornado started just a minute later and traveled 4.74 miles.
The NWS has been conducting investigations and surveys in Oneida County to determine the damage and the path of the tornado. It was determined the damage in the area of Hamilton and Hamilton College in Clinton was also consistent with an EF-1 tornado.
“Rotation occurred in a kink in the line of storms, generating an EF-1 tornado from just south of Westmoreland, through the western edge of the Hamilton College Campus, to near Clinton in Oneida County,” according to the NWS report. “Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped, and a farm sustained significant damage to its silo and outbuildings. Debris from the farm was lofted at least 1,000 feet across the field, with some of it impaling the ground as debris missiles.”
The National Weather Service thanked impacted residents, including a trained skywarn spotter, for sharing their accounts. Additionally, NWS was assisted by Oneida County Emergency Services and the Hamilton College Emergency Manager while conducting its survey.
NWS officials added in the report that their statements are preliminary and subject to change pending a final review and publication of the data.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: NWS confirms second tornado hit Oneida County near Hamilton College
Reporting by Casey Pritchard, Utica Observer Dispatch / Observer-Dispatch
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