SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Severe thunderstorms swept across parts of western New York, the Finger Lakes, and Southern Tier of New York Wednesday knocking down trees and dropping some very large hail in some areas.
STORM DAMAGE REPORTS WEDNESDAY
Many locations merely experienced heavy rainfall, thunder and lightning.
The first set of warnings popped up during the six o’clock hour in Ontario County warning of 60 mph damaging wind gusts capable of knocking down trees and utility poles.
STORM DAMAGE ONTARIO COUNTY
Additional storms, some were showing rotation, and high wind speeds despite zero tornado warnings being issued during the seven o’clock hour. Severe thunderstorm warnings did continue in this area
Here’s a look across Tompkins County where 1.5″ diameter or ping pong ball size hail near the intersection of Pearl Street and Shaffer Road not too far from the Newfield Public Library. We were covering severe thunderstorm warnings in this location LIVE during NBC3 news at 7 p.m.
STORM DAMAGE IN TOMPKINS COUNTY WEDNESDAY
Lastly after storms left the Ithaca area and points south they strengthened again heading into Broome County where the updrafts were so strong it forced water up to the top of the storm clouds to freeze.
Then the frozen water drops under it’s own weight collecting more water around it and forced back up to the top of the cloud adding layers like a jawbreaker candy ball.
Eventually the weight of the hail dropped it to the ground with sizes ranging from quarters to large apple size!
STORM DAMAGE BROOME COUNTY
Hail as big as 1.75″ rounded to 1.8″ or golf ball size were reported near Guthrie Lourdes Hospital near the Susquehanna River.
The 2.00″ diameter (chicken egg size) reports were from near the State Street Bridge and Vestal Parkway along the Susquehanna River.
The 3.00″ diameter(large apple size or just bigger than a baseball) hail report was from just north of the Ross Park Zoo on Upper Vine Street on the southwest side of Binghamton.
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