July 1989 Northeastern United States tornado outbreak facts for kids
Damage to trees in Hamden, Connecticut
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| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | July 10, 1989 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 17 confirmed |
| Max rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | ~14 hours |
| Highest winds |
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| Largest hail | 2.5 in (6.4 cm) |
| Damage | >$130 million 1989 USD ($214 million 2006 USD) |
| Total fatalities | 0 fatalities (+1 non-tornadic), 150+ tornadic injuries |
| Areas affected | Northeastern United States |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
The 1989 Northeastern United States tornado outbreak was a series of powerful tornadoes. These storms caused over $130 million (in 1989 money) in damage. This happened across the Northeastern United States on July 10, 1989.
The storm system affected five states with severe weather. This included hail as big as 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) (about the size of a tennis ball). There were also strong thunderstorm winds up to 90 mph (140 km/h). In total, 17 tornadoes were confirmed.
Several towns in New York and Connecticut were hit very hard. Homes were destroyed in Schoharie, New York. A lot of damage happened in Bantam, Connecticut. A large part of Hamden, Connecticut, including businesses and many homes, was ruined. In some places, buildings were completely flattened.
More than 150 people were hurt by the tornado outbreak. One person was sadly killed by very strong straight-line winds, not a tornado. Tornado outbreaks like this are unusual in this area. This storm was especially rare because it produced six strong tornadoes. Two of them were very powerful F4 tornadoes. Many of the tornadoes traveled for several miles.
Contents
Understanding the Tornadoes: A Quick Look
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 |
| July 10, 1989 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path Length | Damage Notes | |
| New York State | ||||||
| F1 | NE of Ogdensburg | St. Lawrence | 1019 | 1.7 miles (2.7 km) | This tornado was about 90 feet wide. One person was hurt by the tornado. Another person was hurt by strong winds from the thunderstorm. | |
| F4 | Ames to near East Durham | Montgomery, Greene, Schoharie, Albany | 1827 | 42 miles (68 km) | This was likely a group of tornadoes. The first and strongest tornado hit near Ames. It caused damage in and around Bramerville, Carlisle, Howe Caverns, Central Bridge, and Schoharie. The worst damage was in the Schoharie area. Trees were knocked down, and many barns and homes were damaged. Some homes were completely destroyed. Other brief tornadoes touched down near Rensselaerville and Greenville. | |
| F2 | Near Carmel Hamlet | Putnam | 2158 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | The roofs of condominium buildings were ripped off. Five people were injured. | |
| F2 | Moriches | Suffolk | 2315 | 0.2 miles (0.3 km) | A short but strong tornado hit Long Island. A trailer was thrown, and the person inside was injured. | |
| Massachusetts | ||||||
| F1 | Hubbardston | Worcester | 2004 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) | A very short tornado. | |
| F1 | Princeton | Worcester | 2010 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) | A very short tornado. | |
| F1 | Sterling | Worcester | 2010 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) | A very short tornado. | |
| F1 | W of Boylston | Worcester | 2015 | 0.4 miles (0.6 km) | A very short tornado. | |
| F0 | Canton | Norfolk | 2110 | 0.1 miles (160 m) | A very short tornado. | |
| F1 | Near Brockton | Plymouth | 2125 | 0.1 miles (160 m) | A very short tornado. One person was injured. | |
| F0 | East of Hanover | Plymouth | 2130 | 0.1 miles (160 m) | A very short tornado. | |
| Connecticut | ||||||
| F2 | Cornwall to near Morris | Litchfield | 2040 | 10 miles (16 km) | This tornado skipped along its path. It flattened a large area of forest and destroyed ski-lifts. It then hit Milton, knocking down hundreds of trees. The tornado badly damaged the town of Bantam, tearing apart homes and businesses. A church was destroyed, and a soda machine was thrown 100 feet. This caused $5 million in damage and hurt four people. | |
| F2 | Watertown to northern Waterbury | Litchfield, New Haven | 2115 | 5.0 miles (8.0 km) | This powerful tornado moved through Watertown, Oakville, and Waterbury. It caused a lot of damage in each place. Fifty homes lost their roofs or were torn apart, and 100 others were damaged. A water treatment plant in Watertown lost a big part of its roof. Many trees and power lines were knocked down. This caused over $5 million in damage and injured 70 people. | |
| F4 | Hamden | New Haven | 2145 | 3.0 miles (4.8 km) | A very strong tornado destroyed the Highwood area of Hamden. Many homes, apartment buildings, and industrial buildings were badly damaged. Some were completely flattened. Heavy construction equipment was thrown around. In total, 350 homes and 40 businesses were destroyed. Hundreds of trees and power lines were knocked down. Cleaning up the tree damage took up to a year. This tornado injured 40 people and caused $100 million in damage. | |
| New Jersey | ||||||
| F1 | West Milford to Ringwood | Passaic | 2300 | 4.5 miles (7.2 km) | Trees were snapped in half. | |
| F0 | Oakland to Franklin Lakes | Bergen | 2319 | 3.5 miles (5.6 km) | This tornado caused damage to trees and houses. | |
| F0 | Garfield to Fort Lee | Bergen | 2346 | 4.0 miles (6.4 km) | This tornado also caused damage to trees and houses. | |
| Sources: NCDC Storm Events Database "Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991" SPC Storm Data | ||||||
How the Storms Developed
The storms started causing damage early in the morning on July 10, 1989. A tornado briefly touched down in Ogdensburg, New York at 5 AM. It injured one person. Before noon, there were reports of hail up to 1 inch (25 mm) wide. Wind gusts were over 50 mph (60 km/h). Many reports of wind damage came from New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts.
It's unusual for severe weather to happen in the morning. But the storms actually became even stronger as the afternoon went on.
The Powerful Schoharie County Tornado
| F4 tornado | |
|---|---|
| Max rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Damage | $20 million (1989 USD) |
| Total fatalities | 20 injuries |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
This event caused huge damage from Montgomery to Greene County. It resulted in $20 million in damage and injured 20 people. Experts believe it was likely three or more tornadoes, not just one. Each tornado caused F3 to F4 level damage. Only the damage near Schoharie was rated F4. Some sources even question if it was truly that strong.
The first tornado touched down three miles east of Ames at 1:27 PM. It moved southeast. It passed near or through Carlisle, Howe Caverns, Central Bridge, and Schoharie before lifting. The storm then produced another tornado briefly near Rensselaerville. This happened about 10 miles further southeast. After another 10 miles, a third tornado touched down. This was between Greenville and Surprise. This last part of the path is shown as a skipping tornado. However, it might have been three or more separate tornadoes.
The Connecticut Tornado Family
| Tornadoes confirmed | 3 |
|---|---|
| Max rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Damage | $110 million (1989 USD) |
| Total fatalities | 1 non-tornadic, 114 injuries |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
About an hour after the New York storms, a new group of tornadoes began. They caused major damage in Connecticut. The first tornado started in Cornwall. It flattened a very old forest called Cathedral Pines. At the nearby Mohawk Mountain Ski Area, every ski lift was destroyed. Some lift chairs were found miles away.
The tornado continued south-southeast through Milton. It knocked down hundreds more trees. Then it destroyed the village of Bantam before fading away. Strong downburst winds kept causing damage and flattening trees after this tornado lifted. During this time between tornadoes, a 12-year-old girl was sadly killed by falling trees in Black Rock State Park.
Soon after, another tornado touched down in Watertown. It moved through Oakville and northern Waterbury. This tornado damaged or destroyed 150 homes.
The Hamden tornado was the most destructive of this group. It might have been the most damaging of the entire outbreak. It touched down at 5:38 PM near the Wilbur Cross Parkway. Industrial cranes and cars were thrown into the air. Rows of houses and a business park were flattened. The tornado lifted just a few minutes later at 5:45 PM. The damage path was only five miles long. It stopped just before the city of New Haven. But it damaged or destroyed almost 400 buildings in its path.
The storm was so strong that an 80 mph (130 km/h) wind gust was measured in downtown New Haven. This happened after the tornado disappeared. Around the same time, a tornado hit the area between Carmel and Brewster, New York. It ripped the roofs off a condominium complex. Five people were injured there.
Long Island's Storm Experience
| F2 tornado | |
|---|---|
| Max rating1 | F2 tornado |
| Total fatalities | 1 injury |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
The storms kept causing damage after moving onto Long Island. An F2 tornado caused a lot of damage in East Moriches. A man was thrown with his trailer across an airfield. He escaped the destroyed trailer with only minor injuries. The tornado also brought 2.5 inch (6.4 cm) hail. Other areas further east also saw damage from straight-line winds and hail up to an inch across.
Massachusetts Storms
| Tornadoes confirmed | 7 |
|---|---|
| Max rating1 | F1 tornado |
| Total fatalities | 1 injury |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
While the powerful tornadoes were hitting Connecticut, this part of the storm produced four short F1 tornadoes. They happened quickly one after another north of Worcester. These tornadoes occurred between 4 PM and 4:15 PM. Each of these tornadoes created damage paths less than 150 feet (45 m) wide. Their paths were also less than 0.5 miles (0.8 km) long.
The storm moved east-southeast into southern Middlesex County. It continued to produce strong winds (up to 90 mph; 145 km/h) and very heavy rain. Another tornado briefly touched down in Norfolk County. This was followed by two more short touchdowns in Plymouth County around 5:30 PM. The storm then weakened. However, it still produced 60 mph (95 km/h) winds on Cape Cod. Finally, it moved out into the Atlantic Ocean and disappeared.
New Jersey Storms
| Tornadoes confirmed | 3 |
|---|---|
| Max rating1 | F1 tornado |
| Damage | $4 million (1989 USD) |
| Total fatalities | 0 |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
Around the same time, the last of the storm activity was affecting northern New Jersey. Two F0 tornadoes and one F1 tornado tracked through parts of Passaic and Bergen counties. They snapped and uprooted trees. This caused $4 million in damage. About 150 houses were damaged in Bergen County alone.
Aftermath and Recovery Efforts
In Waterbury, Connecticut, the mayor, Joseph Santopietro, declared a state of emergency. This was because of the widespread damage in the city.
In Hamden, Connecticut, the National Guard was called in. They helped with cleanup and kept order. Some looting was reported in the damaged area. On July 18, President George H. W. Bush declared the area a disaster zone. The damage was so severe that much of the area had no power for a week. Trees were still being cleared a year later.
Homes and other buildings were damaged by this storm. However, most of the damage was in wooded areas. Several major roads were closed. These included Route 9, Route 12, and Interstate 190. They were closed because of flooding or downed trees. The biggest financial impact came from damage to utility services. This totaled over $2 million in Princeton alone.
Despite the widespread damage, only one death was reported from the entire severe weather event. This death was due to straight-line winds, not a tornado. Many people, including Connecticut Governor William O'Neill, said it was "a miracle" that more people were not seriously hurt or killed.
A Historic Outbreak for the Northeast
This storm event was one of the biggest ever seen in the Northeastern United States. In total, 17 tornadoes touched down, and possibly even more. There were 14 times when severe winds were measured. Several of these were over 80 mph (129 km/h). There were also 46 reports of straight-line wind damage.
Ten reports of hail 1 inch (2.5 cm) across or larger were made. Hail 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) wide fell from one storm. This storm was producing a tornado at the time. Hail this large is very rare in this part of the United States.
Amazingly, even though hundreds of homes and other buildings were destroyed, no one was killed by tornadoes that day. Tornado damage caused about 140 injuries, mostly minor. One death and 11 injuries were caused by wind damage. In just five hours, the storms produced more than 12,500 lightning strikes. The airport in Oxford, Connecticut recorded 4.4 inches (112 mm) of rain in just 30 minutes.
The northeastern United States does experience occasional tornadoes. However, an event of this size is extremely rare. Typical tornadoes in this area are short-lived and don't cause much damage. This outbreak featured several tornadoes that lasted a long time. They were produced by storms that also caused destructive straight-line winds over a large area. Since 1950, only six very strong tornadoes have happened in the Northeastern US. Two of them were part of this outbreak. It was by far the worst tornado event in the area since May 2, 1983. On that day, six significant tornadoes tore through New York.
