BAINBRIDGE – Private property was destroyed and a number of large trees felled following the touchdown of a tornado which achieved wind speeds estimated at 110 mph at approximately 8 p.m., Friday in the Town of Bainbridge.
Although no injuries were reported, several instances of private property damage did occur, including the destruction of a large barn, a trailer, and the annihilation of a car on East Afton Road in Bainbridge.
Other than the area immediately surrounding East Afton Road, damage was limited and the town’s supervisor was not alerted to any emergency reports other than NYSEG's response to downed power lines.
On Friday, at approximately 7:57 p.m., the National Weather Services out of Binghamton issued a tornado warning lasting through 8:30 p.m. According the NWS Binghamton warning, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm able to produce a tornado moving northeast through Bainbridge and Chenango County. Those in the path of the storm were strongly urged to seek shelter in either a basement or inside a building as far removed from any windows as possible.
“We knew there was the potential for thunderstorms and there was already a severe thunderstorm warning in effect,” said Chenango County Chief Dispatcher A. Jones.
Officials were aware there was a slight chance for an isolated tornado incident and an earlier tornado warning had been issued for Southern Broome County, East Central Bradford County and Northwestern Susquehanna County, PA, though it had expired by then.
Later, while the same storm was heading over Chenango County, concerning weather patterns developed, alerting officials to the impending danger.
“When the radar indicated another rotation in the storm we immediately issued a warning and the system did in fact produce a tornado,” reported Jones.
When the twister hit, it achieved an estimated maximum wind velocity of 110 miles per hour, with a maximum width of 200 yards and traveling a path of 3.2 miles. The tornado's beginning and ending latitude/longitude was 42.25 north/75.45 west and 42.27 north/75.39 west, respectively.
The tornado made landfall somewhere between Interstate 88 and State Highway 206, according to a preliminary storm report issued by NWS Binghamton. The twister downed two power poles on East Afton Road, where it can also be held accountable for damage to at least two cars. From there it continued on a northeasterly path, crossing State Highway 206 and demolishing trees as it went. At this point, a barn received minor roof damage, along with a number of other homes. A farm equipment building and mobile home were severely damaged, while a carport was lifted into the air and hurled by powerful winds 75 feet from its original location. The tornado intensified to EF1 strength (wind speeds between 65 to 85 mph) while traveling near Houck Drive, where it dislodged trees as wide as three feet in diameter and damaged a single home and garage. The twister then crossed over into Delaware County, briefly downing a few more trees along State Highway 8, before dissipating.
Debra A. Burress, an East Afton Road homeowner, was inside her house when the tornado struck right outside.
“It was dark and everyone was inside when out of the blue there was this whooshing noise and the house began to shake,” she said. “At first there was quite a bit of rain so everyone was inside, then there was a calm before it hit.”
While some items did shatter and break, it was over in a moment, Burress said, adding how she could hear the leaves and trees blowing about outside in the aftermath. Downed poles sparked in the road, creating what Burress described as something of a light show, as well as an impediment for responders' vehicles trying to get through.
Burress and her family were lucky, she admitted, and no one was hurt. Her car, however, was not as fortunate, as a large maple tree had come crashing down upon the hood, mangling its front half beyond repair.
“It’s a little bit earlier in the season for tornados ... we usually get them in the May to June timeframe, but they are still pretty rare around here,” added Jones.