2012-09-08 MISC: NY/CT/PA

[Saul Trabal]

I didn't know where else to post this. We're under a tornado watch until 9 p.m.

http://www.rsvlts.com/2012/09/08/breaking-tornado-in-new-york-city-photos/

 

[Saul Trabal]

Two tornadoes touched down-an EF0 (74 mph) and an EF1 (110 mph). The EF0 started as a waterspout.

Edited to add: YouTube link to video of the tornado:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgHIKDrC5e8

 

[Dave Kaplow]

I chased this event with a friend, didn't get much, but it was worth a shot given the strength of the system and the high severe parameters. The potential was definitely there, as proven by the 2 confirmed tors in NYC. There was extremely good LL shear for this part of the country and you could visibly see it, just incredible motion in the sky... Convective scud just streaming out of the south into strongly tilted towers that were being pushed E/NE at frantic speeds. This stuff was simply not chaseable, but it was fascinating to watch. A young updraft in this kind of environment has to really fight the shear to stay alive, and only a few of them managed to do that out ahead of the main squall line. The few cells that were able to mature into full-fledged storms were almost all tornado-warned at some point or other, pretty much everything that went up was trying to rotate. The main problem with the atmosphere was a familiar one for Southern New England: poor mid-level lapse rates. I saw some absolutely gorgeous updrafts but they were all low-topped and unable to fully mature due to the warm mid-level air. I believe we might have seen a major tornado outbreak but for that one limiting factor.

 

[Saul Trabal]

There appears to be an increasing amount of tornadoes in this area. In years past, I'd figure we would get one tornado every 2-3 years. In recent years, we have been averaging 1 or 2 a year. About two years ago, we had the twin tornadoes that hit Brooklyn with 150 mph winds. That summer, I had a tornado-warned storm go over my house-rotation had been indicated by Doppler radar. While I didn't see it drop any funnels, the clouds churned and there were WICKED lightning displays.

 

[Tim Shriver]

i have looked at the video a couple of times and do not see much. Could just be the quality of the video.

Did you see rotation on the ground? If not, how did you confirm it as a tornado?


Tim

 

[TrumanBoyer]

Did you see rotation on the ground? If not, how did you confirm it as a tornado? Tim

Initially rotation was made apparent by scud features moving around a lowered cloud base.
A little of this can be seen in the video, but it is subtle, and fuzzy.
The "streamers" moving upward from tree-top level to cloud base were spinning,
on their own axis and revolving around each other. This went on for maybe 10 seconds.
The video does not capture this at all.
Damn shame, it was an interesting little show.

I had stopped because my stepdaughter was calling to invite me over for dinner, and
you can still hear me talking to her, asking "can you see it ?". Stupid of me. I can talk
on the phone and record at the same time, but not do live video calls.

I could also confirm rotation at tree top level by leaf motion. The underside of a leaf is lighter
in color, and I could see color difference on opposite sides of the lowering.

Around 40s mark on the video, a slightly darker cone reaches to treetop level.
(in the middle of the fuzz) I can see it on my computer, and on the phone,
but depending on the light, I have to move my head around to different angles
to make it out. (LCD directional effect)

I have not tried to enhance this although I did allow the youtube editor
to eliminate some camera shake.

As the lowering lifted and passed overhead, there were leaves flying everywhere,
the air was thick with them up to maybe 100 feet. initially blowing perpendicular
toward the highway, then from the west and then NW, and then falling.
The directional changes took maybe 15 seconds.

The horizontal rain also changed direction, but very sharply, and went back to
near vertical rather suddenly.

The soaking wet flag went from nearly still to loud snapping pointing east to
snapping NW to nearly limp.

I was soaking wet during this and I was trying to keep the phone dry.
I realize now that I probably should have kept on filming, as I pay $5
a month for insurance on the phone.

Anyway, yes, I can confirm rotation to ground level.

If it looks like a duck, and acts like a duck, its probably time to duck.

-T

 

[Saul Trabal]

This YouTube video is a compilation of storm and tornado video from that day, from various folks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTk_S1hOqmI