Tornado Touches Down In Hudson Valley Saturday

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — A tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Sullivan County Saturday during a storm that brought heavy rain, winds and hail to some parts of the Hudson Valley.

According to a National Weather Service preliminary statement, the tornado was rated EF2, which is considered strong, and had an estimated peak wind of 115 mph.

It touched down at 6:38 p.m. Saturday just north of Jeffersonville in Sullivan County and traveled 9.95 miles.

The tornado event ended around 7 p.m. at Rockland, Sullivan County, leaving a 300-yard path at its widest.

After the tornado touched down north of Jeffersonville, it traveled along Callicoon Center Road near Laundry Brook and damaged trees.

It moved north, passing through an area where there were no roads, between Sander Road and Wahl Road, before crossing Hessinger and Lare Road.

The tornado snapped several trees and caused minor structural damage.

As the tornado continued north, crossing John Dietz Road, it blew down a large number of hardwood trees and damaged skylights in a nearby residence.

The weather service said the damage in that area was between EF0 and EF1.

The worst damage, according to the weather service occurred on a farm and a nearby residence on either side of Hahn Road. There was severe damage to historic barns, a garage and outbuildings. A 180-foot truss tower collapsed, bending into three sections.

A nearby house received seemingly minor damage, but there may have been frame damage, because interior walls were reportedly cracked and doors unable to close. There was also a large blowdown of mixed trees. Damage in this area ranged from EF1 to EF2.

The tornado continued traveling north, causing another hardwood blowdown off of Gulf Road. There was mostly tree damage along nearby Dutch Hill Road.

The tornado then passed through Roscoe, Sullivan County, where there were more sporadic uprooted trees. It lifted as it moved into Rockland, Sullivan County.

The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the the following categories:

• EF0: Weak, 65 to 85 mph
• EF1: Weak, 86 to 110 mph
• EF2: Strong, 111 to 135 mph
• EF3: Strong, 136 to 165 mph
• EF4: Violent, 166 to 200 mph
• EF5: Violent, greater than 200 mph