Thunderstorm Wind in Oneida County, New York

The derecho continued to progress quickly towards the east-southeast. It inflicted more widespread wind damage down the western Mohawk Valley. Tree and structural damage was quite common over central and southern sections of the county. Additional reports of large hail were also noted. Severe storms initially entered the county in Verona just before 200 am EDT. A large swath of trees was toppled or damaged just north of the Thruway and along route 31 near Verona Station and Dams Corners. Portions of route 31 became impassable as large tree limbs and power lines blocked the roadway. Further downstream from Westmoreland southward to the Waterville area, more extensive tree damage was seen. Several homes in Westmoreland suffered structural damage as large trees crashed through the roof or the garage. From roughly 215 to 220 am EDT, the storms tore through the Utica and New Hartford areas with considerable tree damage. In downtown Utica, many of the primary thoroughfares were closed through at least the morning hours on Labor Day as streets were covered with large tree limbs, downed wires, and warped traffic signals. A portion of Interstate 790 just north of Utica was also closed for a short time as a large road sign was toppled onto the highway. In New Hartford, a restaurant had its windows blown out with major damage to the kitchen and seating areas from flying glass and debris. Large hail to golf ball sized in diameter was observed in Clinton and Kirkland. Several automobiles had dents and other minor damage from the hailstones. Again, tens of thousands of customers spent most of Labor Day in the dark. Some homes and businesses in the harder hit areas of Utica and Waterville did not have power restored for up to 4 days.