Thursday Storm Reports: Microburst, Large Hail, Trees Down

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The severe thunderstorm that drenched and damaged parts of Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties Thursday morning contained microbursts but not a tornado, the National Weather Service said.

Their investigation at Greenwood Lake turned up lots of damage but no signs of rotation. "Doppler Radar and observational analysis support the damage being consistent with straight-line winds and microbursts," the NWS said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

The damage included huge trees uprooted and houses damaged across Greenwood Lake, trees and wires down including in Carmel, Montrose, Tuxedo Park, Yorktown and Wesley Hills, and loss of electricity to some 7,000 customers.

In Greenwood Lake, a tree fell on the hood of a school bus on Sterling Place. There were eight students on board, school district officials said on Facebook. "The tree was eventually cut away by residents in the neighborhood. All but one student were able to be picked up by parents or other trusted adults at the location where the bus was stopped. The bus driver and that student were able to enter a home in the area, where they stayed until the OC Sheriff’s Office was able to send ATVs to retrieve them, around 1:00 pm."

Another school bus was trapped on a road made impassible in either direction due to downed power lines and uprooted trees.

The Thomas Morahan Park Beach that was scheduled to open today to start the holiday weekend has been postponed until Saturday, Greenwood Lake village officials said. All roads except East Shore Road were opened by Friday morning.

And hail — hailstones of an inch or more in diameter were reported in Croton-on-Hudson, Peekskill and Yorktown Heights, the NWS reported.

The weather report for the holiday weekend shows clouds and rain.

"As the storm system responsible for severe thunderstorms this weekend progresses, parts of the Northeast will be subject to drenching downpours on Memorial Day. The greatest threat of storms turning violent with high winds and possible tornadoes will be along a portion of the mid-Atlantic coast," said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist. "For those in the Northeast, Sunday is likely to be the best beach day. Surf temperatures are frigid from New Jersey to the north."

Still, he said, "Even in the stormiest locations, there will be opportunities to spend time outdoors thanks to many hours of daylight." And, he recommended: "Be sure to use sunscreen, as even in cool conditions, the sun's rays are intense in late May with the summer solstice less than 30 days away."