EF0 tornado in Cortland County, New York

An EF-0 tornado briefly touched down 3.4 miles WSW of Cortland

in Cortland County NY around 11:32 AM, moving east-northeast at

50 mph. Tree damage along the route was the most common type of

damage, with a swath of tree damage showing a convergent pattern,

which is indication of a brief tornado touching down. Going east

along Route 222, and along residential streets south of Route

222, multiple trees fell in the east-northeast direction, with a

few falling due north. Where convergent damage was evident was

just north of the Cortland County Airport, with a few trees

falling in the southwest direction. Among the damage, some of the

most extensive was mainly large uprooted trees and large snapped

trees. Going further east-northeast, further scattered tree

damage was observed, but did not show a convergent pattern. This

indicated that the brief tornado dissipated before heading into

town, and was residual thunderstorm wind damage.

A highly anomalous low pressure system tracked north and east of the region, producing a tight pressure gradient and strong winds. A cold front moved through around midday, bringing showers and thunderstorms capable of damaging wind gusts. The highly sheared and modestly yet adequately unstable environment also produced EF0 and EF1 tornadoes across Central NY, although damaging winds remained the primary hazard.