No Tornado, but "down-burst winds" wreaked havoc and destruction near Remsen and surrounding Oneida County communities, NWS says

ONEIDA COUNTY- There was no evidence from Tuesday's strong line of thunderstorms to suggest an official tornado near the Remsen, NY area and surrounding Oneida County communities, the National Weather Service (Binghamton, NY office) says.

NWS officials told us that they have been in contact with Oneida County Government and in a nut-shell, there is no specific area that will be investigated for gauging a tornado.

In other words, the NWS says the definition of a tornado involves damage that is specific to a single area or pathway. For example, a tornado may strike one community, but the neighboring town a few miles away will receive no storm damage. 

In this particular case on Tuesday evening, the damage caused by the storms that blasted through wasn't just concentrated to a narrow pathway or location, but rather it was all over. 

Thousands of power outages remain from the city of Syracuse, NY, Oneida Lake and all the way through to Rome and Utica. Locally, there are several people and families without power south of Boonville, specifically areas around Forestport, Holland Patent/Barneveld, Remsen, Steuben and etc.   

This is because Tuesday's line of vicious storms escorted a strong cold front that collided with a warm mass of air, thus resulting in very powerful "down-burst" winds, NWS officials said, and those winds are known to be powerful like a tornado, with mass potential for causing wide-spread damage and destruction.      

At the airbase in Rome, NY, NWS officials said a wind gust was recorded Tuesday evening as high as 77-mph. 

In fact, that line of storms Tuesday evening was so intense that Poland and Remsen Central Schools ended up closing for Wednesday.

We spoke to a local resident from the Remsen area who claimed her swing-set and new trampoline were tossed all over the place. 

NWS officials informed us of a tree that fell on a trailer home near the Floyd area. In terms of any potential injuries, we are still awaiting word back from emergency officials.

Several other similar reports were confirmed in the town of Lee and Forestport, including downed trees, power lines and other debris. 

For history reference, it will soon be 42-years ago when the village of Boonville endured the famous tornado of May 2, 1983, which occurred late at night and was gauged as an F-3 storm.

Submitted photograph.