Wyoming County, N.Y. (WHAM) — National Weather Service crews are continuing to assess damage across Western New York after Wednesday’s severe storms spawned several tornadoes across the region, including two separate EF1 tornadoes near Letchworth State Park.
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The NWS confirmed Friday that an EF1 tornado touched down near Portageville around 8 p.m. Wednesday, with peak winds of 105 mph. It traveled about 1.2 miles, snapping and uprooting dozens of trees as it crossed Route 19A and entered Letchworth State Park before dissipating near the Genesee River. No injuries or deaths were reported.
A second EF1 touched down at nearly the same time on the opposite side of the river, with peak winds of 110 mph. It traveled 1.25 miles through the eastern side of Letchworth, toppling dozens of large trees along East Parade Grounds Road. Several fell onto a park pavilion, causing significant damage.
Several fallen trees are pictured outside of a shelter at Letchworth State Park after a tornado and powerful storm hit the region Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (Photo provided by Letchworth)
No injuries or deaths were reported from either tornado.
“We had a pretty rare, widespread, severe event across Western New York and parts of Central New York,” said Shane Kearns, warning coordination meteorologist with the NWS in Buffalo.
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Crews have been working across several counties to determine where tornadoes touched down and how strong they were.
Kearns said survey teams look for concentrated areas of damage and patterns in debris that distinguish tornadoes from straight-line winds.
“Tornadic debris is going to be convergent on a point or a path,” Kearns said. “We kind of look for first concentrated areas of damage, and then areas of damage where either trees or other things are kind of pointed towards each other in some fashion.”
In Wyoming County, much of the destruction stretched from Portageville into Letchworth State Park, where trees came down across roads and onto cabins and pavilions.
Kearns said most of the tornadoes surveyed so far have been on the weaker side and moved through relatively rural areas. About 90% of what crews have seen involved tree damage, though some homes were damaged by falling trees or sustained minor structural damage.
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The destruction forced officials to close portions of Letchworth State Park, disrupting plans for visitors and campers.
“We came here yesterday, and the power was out, and there’s trees down everywhere,” one camper said. “But it’s still really beautiful. The weather’s gorgeous. Rolling with it.”
Park officials announced Friday that the Parade Grounds area, including the D and E cabins and Parade Grounds pavilion, will remain closed for the rest of the season due to storm damage.
Power has been restored to all other areas of the park.
Click here to stay up to date on closures and reopenings at Letchworth State Park.