The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed that 2 tornadoes developed late Monday afternoon south of Buffalo in Westfield & Fredonia. Both locations are in Chautaqua County. The tornadoes reached EF2 on the enhanced Fujita scale. This equates to sustained winds between 105 -115 mph. Damage was widespread near the tornadoes with numerous reports of downed trees, snapped utility poles, roof damage, and foundation/structural damage to barns.
According to tornado expert Dr. Greg Forbes these are the first confirmed tornadoes in WNY since 1950 and likely the first EF2 tornado since 1883 in all of NY State.
A storm survey team from the NWS surveyed the damage today on ground and some aerial photos were taken as well. The path lengths were 3 & 4.6 miles respectively.
