Westchester Tornado Confirmed From Purchase To Rye Brook, NWS Says

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down in Westchester County.

A short-lived EF0 tornado that developed in Purchase and moved east-northeast toward Rye Brook was confirmed by the National Weather Service in New York after a damage survey released Wednesday afternoon. The weather service said the tornado began at 4:10 p.m. Tuesday, and ended at 4:17 p.m., after traveling 1.82 miles in Westchester County.

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According to the preliminary Public Information Statement, the tornado had an estimated peak wind of 85 mph and a maximum path width of 40 yards.

The report lists no injuries.

The National Weather Service said the confirmation was made "in coordination with local and state public safety officials" and was strengthened by radar evidence of a rotating thunderstorm with debris lofted several thousand feet above the ground.

The statement said the tornado likely began on the Manhattanville College campus in Purchase, where it uprooted several trees and snapped large branches. According to the report, the tornado then likely lifted before touching down again to the southeast, where it sheared off the tops of trees and uprooted a few trees on Lincoln Avenue, near Loden Lane.

The National Weather Service also reported that the tornado likely lifted again before a final touchdown near Lawridge Drive, where a few trees and wires were brought down. The statement said the tornado likely lifted one last time and dissipated before the storm crossed the New York-Connecticut state line. It also noted that a spotter reported tree branch and leaf debris falling on the Hutchinson Parkway shortly before 4:20 p.m.

In its statement, the National Weather Service thanked Westchester County Emergency Management, the Harrison Police Department, the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, broadcast media, spotters and members of the public who shared reports, photos and video used in the survey.

The agency also included a note that the information is preliminary and "subject to change pending final review of the event and publication in NWS Storm Data."

Under the Enhanced Fujita Scale, an EF0 tornado is classified as having winds from 65 to 85 mph.