Binghamton, N.Y. – The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF1 tornado and an intense 105 mph microburst following Saturday’s severe thunderstorms that swept across New York’s Southern Tier, leaving a long path of tree damage across Broome and Delaware counties.
According to the National Weather Service in Binghamton, storm survey teams determined the tornado touched down at 6:12 p.m. EDT about 2 miles south-southwest of Sanford in Broome County before lifting at 6:31 p.m. EDT about 1 mile east-northeast of Hancock in Delaware County. The tornado also briefly crossed the Pennsylvania border.
The EF1 tornado reached peak winds of 95 mph, carved a damage path 15.69 miles long and reached a maximum width of 300 yards. Survey teams found numerous downed trees and other wind damage along the track from Sanford through Deposit, Hale Eddy and Hancock.
A second survey confirmed an intense microburst near Rock Valley in Delaware County. The microburst developed at 6:48 p.m. EDT, producing peak winds of 105 mph across a path measuring 0.7 miles long and 0.3 miles wide. The National Weather Service said the powerful downburst was associated with a radar-detected bow echo, a thunderstorm structure commonly linked to destructive straight-line winds. Drone imagery and ground surveys showed dozens of trees flattened by the divergent wind pattern northwest of Rock Valley.
Additional storm surveys found 70 to 80 mph microburst damage near Marathon in Cortland County, with damaging winds continuing into northern Broome and Chenango counties. Significant tree damage was also documented around Norwich, while additional wind damage extended into northern Susquehanna and Wayne counties in Pennsylvania.
The National Weather Service may continue refining damage assessments as additional reports are received, but the surveys confirm that Saturday’s storms produced multiple destructive wind events across the region, highlighting the importance of taking Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Warnings seriously.
