NWS confirms tornado touched down in Rome, New York
Tuesday's severe storm that ravaged parts of Oneida County, including the City of Rome, was indeed a tornado, according to the National Weather Service in Binghamton.
The twister rated an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with peak wind speeds of 135 mph. It touched down at 3:25 p.m. and was on the ground for 10 minutes and traveled 5.25 miles, according to the data released Wednesday night. The tornado had a path width of 300 yards. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
A strong rotation caused the funnel to touch down between the Erie Canal and Muck Road and traveled directly through the City of Rome before lifting up near Griffiss International Airport.
The tornado heavily damaged two churches - to both the roofs and steeps, ripped off roofs of several other buildings, caused exterior brick and concrete walls to collapse, crushed multiple vehicles, uprooted or snapped branches on hundreds of trees. The twister also caused blown out garage doors or windows and for bricks, branches or other objects to impale exterior walls of many buildings, according to the report.
An EF-2 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, has winds speeds between 111 and 135 mph, which is strong enough to rip a roof off a structure.
Tornado damages in Rome, New York
Trees were uprooted and power lines were knocked down throughout the City of Rome and some buildings were heavily damaged - with shattered windows, ripped siding, crushed brick walls and damaged roofs. Tens of thousands also lost power as a result of the storm.
Several churches lost their roofs and steeples due to the twister - including at First Presbyterian Church of Rome, one of the city's oldest and tallest buildings. The steeple crashed through the roof and into the nave. Uprooted trees landed on many roadways, making them impassable, on power lines and on structures. Numerous vehicles were also overturned by the wind.
The massive mural of a man riding a horse, one of the city’s best-known landmarks, has crumbled. Now, only the horse’s feet are visible on the decimated brick wall. A state of emergency was set in place across New York and a curfew issued for Rome and surrounding communities for at least five days.
Due to damages to or around city and county offices and courthouses, these buildings have temporarily closed, and all services were moved to Utica.
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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: NWS confirms tornado touched down in Rome, New York
