Did a Tornado Strike Parts of the Upper Hudson Valley?

The heat and humidity of summer can cause strong thunderstorms to blow up pretty much any given day across New York state and the Hudson Valley.

But many times, while one area may experience a torrential downpour another nearby town will get next to nothing when it comes to the storm. It can be quite hard to predict the forecast when the storms are so spotty and scattered a wide area.

But while New York usually doesn't get as many tornadoes as other parts of the country, July and August are actually the months when the state sees the most amount of twisters. Ground Zero Shelters says that the month of July brings about three tornadoes across the state per average every year, which leads all months.

See Also: What Are the Strongest Tornadoes to Ever Hit New York State?

But did a tornado strike parts of the area late Tuesday, while many people were out and about enjoying the Fourth of July fireworks? Or was the damage simply produced by very strong straight-line winds?

Parts of the Hudson Valley See Heavy Damage After Storms 

Severe thunderstorms produced "significant and widespread damage" to parts of Columbia and Rensselaer counties late Tuesday, according to WNYT. The cluster of storms moved south through the Capital District, before entering northern Columbia and Greene counties, as conditions spurred numerous severe thunderstorm and flood alerts.

The National Weather Service surveyed the damage Wednesday, including neighborhoods which experienced 100 MPH winds. And while wind speeds of that strength may make many think a tornado had struck, the NWS says it was straight-line winds.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Stephen DiRienzo told WNYT "It seemed like all the damage was in the same direction, so it seemed like it was straight-line winds from the large thunderstorm that went through the area last night, and that storm was responsible for the damage that occurred.”

As the Sun began to set, the storms soon lost the daytime heating needed to fuel the cells. The storms then quickly fell apart as they moved south towards Dutchess and Ulster.

More Storms in the Hudson Valley 

Tuesday's severe weather struck just one day after areas in Orange, Sullivan, and Westchester counties were hit hard from severe weather. On Monday, Goshen, officials declared a state of emergency due to the storms which caused heavy damage.

The storms brought down numerous trees and power lines, while causing thousands of power outages across the region. In Chester, a storm even peeled off the roof to the old Chester High School.