EF1 tornado in Hamilton County, New York

A National Weather Service storm survey concluded an EF1 tornado occurred along Route 8 south of Oxbow Lake. The tornado travelled along Route 8 where numerous trees and utility poles were uprooted and snapped. In addition, there was minor structural damage to homes and utility buildings. The tornado dissipated just west of Oxbow Road. Estimated peak winds were 100 mph with a path length of 0.51 miles and a path width of 200 yards.

The second of three days of hot and humid conditions continued across eastern New York on July 16, 2024. Heat index (feels-like temperatures) reached 95 to 104 degrees across much of the Mohawk and Hudson valleys.

During the afternoon hours, a strong upper level disturbance developed an organized line of thunderstorms which tracked eastward across the region. Widespread severe weather occurred along this line. Widespread and, in some areas, considerable wind damage was observed along with embedded tornadoes through the western and southern Adirondacks, Mohawk Valley, Upper Hudson Valley and Capital District with the most intense storms occurring along and north of Interstate 90. Observed wind gusts ranged between 50 and 87 mph with these storms with the latter wind gust reported at the New York State Mesonet at Glens Falls.

National Weather Service Storm Surveys, with some being assisted by other state authorities, concluded seven tornado touchdowns. Six of these tornadoes were rated EF-1 with estimated peak winds between 90 and 110 mph. These tornadoes occurred in the Town of Ohio (Herkimer County), Little Moose Lake/Limekiln Lake (Hamilton County), the West Branch of the Sacandaga River/West River Road (Hamilton County), Oxbow Lake (Hamilton County), Wilcox Lake Wild Forest (Hamilton/Warren County), and the Town of Day (Saratoga County). One EF-0 tornado touched down near The Glen in central Warren County with estimated peak winds of 85 mph. During clean up efforts from the Town of Day tornado, a woman was seriously injured (indirect) after being struck by a tree.

In addition to tornadoes, two microbursts, determined through remote damage assessment using drone footage and satellite imagery, were noted in Warren County. Both brought large areas of extensive tree damage with hundreds of hardwood trees being uprooted and snapped. The first was noted in western Warren County along and east of Stewart Creek with the second around Bear Point at the Tongue Mountain Range that extends into Lake George.

These thunderstorms resulted in numerous to widespread power outages with Hamilton and Warren counties the hardest hit. Some power outages lasted for multiple days and some area roads were also impassable for days.

States of Emergency were declared for multiple municipalities including the City of Glens Falls and all of Warren and Saratoga counties. New York Governor Kathy Hochul also declared a state of emergency for all of New York State following all of the severe thunderstorms that impacted the state over the past week.

The governor requested a Federal Emergency Declaration following this severe weather event which included the counties of Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Saratoga and Warren counties.

Scattered thunderstorms gradually developed across the mid-Hudson Valley eastward across the central and southern Taconics producing some additional pockets of wind damage, but this activity was much less widespread and intense compared to the storms farther north.