National Weather Service survey crews found two tornado paths in Seneca County after Wednesday night’s destructive storms, one in the Waterloo area and a second near Fayette, while NYSEG said it expected to restore power to all remaining affected customers by 11 p.m. Friday.
Meteorologists from the Weather Service office in Binghamton first reported at 2:22 p.m. Thursday that evidence of both a tornado and strong straight-line winds had been found in the Waterloo area. In a 4:07 p.m. update, the agency said survey crews had identified a second distinct tornado path near the town of Fayette.
The preliminary findings did not include ratings, path lengths, widths or estimated peak winds for the tornadoes. The Weather Service said a final assessment was expected late Thursday afternoon or Friday morning, with details intended to clarify where the tornadoes traveled and which damage was caused by rotating winds or the broader line of thunderstorms.
Power restoration expected by Friday night
NYSEG and Rochester Gas & Electric said in an 8 p.m. Thursday update that crews would work overnight and through Friday, with power expected to be restored to all remaining affected customers by 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4.
NYSEG said it had restored service to more than 46,000 customers since Wednesday. About 4,300 customers remained without power in the utility’s Geneva Division, which includes Ontario, Wayne, Seneca and Yates counties. Fallen trees damaged electrical infrastructure and continued to block road access for utility crews and emergency responders.
Dry ice and bottled water will be available Friday at the Waterloo Fire Department, 39 E. Water St. NYSEG had not announced the distribution time as of its Thursday night update.
RG&E said nearly 40,000 of its customers had experienced outages since Wednesday. About 1,300 customers remained without power in its Central and Fillmore divisions, which cover parts of Monroe, Orleans, Allegany, Genesee, Livingston and Wyoming counties.
NWS finds two tornado paths and straight-line wind damage
The Weather Service recorded a preliminary 76 mph gust at 8:40 p.m. Wednesday at the Waterloo NYS Mesonet station, about 2 miles south-southwest of Seneca Falls. The measurement captured the strength of the storm’s widespread winds but did not, by itself, identify the tornado.
Forecasters first issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 8:05 p.m. for Seneca, Yates and Cayuga counties and northern Steuben County. The warning said the advancing line could produce wind gusts of up to 70 mph and quarter-size hail.
A tornado warning followed at 8:18 p.m. for northwestern Seneca and northwestern Cayuga counties. Radar showed rotation in a storm near Phelps and Geneva moving east at about 30 mph, placing Waterloo and Seneca Falls in its projected path within minutes.
By 8:47 p.m., the Weather Service described the system as a severe squall line capable of producing tornadoes and extensive straight-line wind damage. Thursday’s ground survey later found evidence of both hazards in the Waterloo area before crews identified the second distinct tornado path near Fayette.
Trees, utility lines and buildings damaged
The storm left extensive damage across Waterloo, Seneca Falls and surrounding parts of northern Seneca County. Reports received by FingerLakes1.com described trees down across the area, roads blocked or partially blocked, utility poles and wires damaged and water entering numerous basements.
The Town of Seneca Falls Police Department said some parts of the community were hit especially hard, with numerous trees, poles and wires down and flooding reported in several locations. Police officers, firefighters and other emergency personnel moved through affected neighborhoods overnight to assess damage and help residents.
Seneca County dispatchers handled a heavy volume of calls while highway crews, utility workers and first responders worked around fallen trees and electrical hazards. Officials asked residents to stay clear of barricades and avoid interfering with crews clearing streets or repairing power infrastructure.
The full extent of the damage remained under assessment Thursday evening. The Weather Service survey began around Waterloo and expanded to the Fayette area, while damage reports also extended through Seneca Falls and other northern Seneca County communities.
More than 5,100 Seneca County customers remain without power
NYSEG reported 5,180 customers without electricity across Seneca County at 3:35 p.m. Thursday, down slightly from 5,237 at 10:03 a.m. but still representing nearly three in every 10 customers the utility serves in the county.
Waterloo village remained the center of the outage. At 3:50 p.m., NYSEG listed 2,293 of its 2,306 village customers without power. The utility’s street-level report showed many Waterloo outages with estimated restoration times extending to 8 a.m. Friday, while other locations still carried Thursday afternoon estimates that were subject to change.
Elsewhere in Seneca County, NYSEG listed 988 customers without power in the town of Fayette, 839 in the town of Waterloo, 713 in the town of Seneca Falls and 83 in the village of Seneca Falls. Outages also affected 119 customers in Varick, 106 in Romulus, 25 in Junius and 14 in Tyre.
The Seneca County outages were part of a broader regional event. NYSEG and Rochester Gas & Electric said Wednesday night that more than 38,000 customers across their service territories had lost power, including more than 9,700 in NYSEG’s Geneva Division, which includes Ontario, Wayne, Seneca and Yates counties.
The companies said about 21,000 RG&E customers were affected, with the heaviest impacts in its Central Division covering Monroe and Orleans counties. The utilities said crews would continue restoration work until all customers had service returned.
Travel advisory lifted as cleanup continues
Seneca County Sheriff Melinda Marquart and the county Emergency Management office issued a no unnecessary travel advisory for northern Seneca County at 10 p.m. Wednesday as fallen trees, utility lines, flooding and emergency activity made travel hazardous.
The advisory was lifted at 1:25 p.m. Thursday after most road conditions improved. The sheriff said a small section of the village of Waterloo remained completely impassable, and motorists were advised to use alternate routes, obey closures and give roadside crews room to work.
Residents were urged to stay at least 30 feet from downed power lines and treat every line as energized. NYSEG customers can report downed wires or other electrical hazards at 1-800-572-1131 or by calling 911. Officials also warned people not to enter flooded basements where wiring or outlets could create an electrical hazard and never to drive through standing water.
Police reminded drivers that a traffic signal without power must be treated as a four-way stop. Motorists should come to a complete stop and proceed only when it is safe.
The Tornado Watch expired at 11 p.m. Wednesday, but the recovery continued Thursday. The Weather Service’s final assessment will determine the strength, dimensions and complete paths of the tornadoes while local crews continue clearing debris, reopening roads and restoring power.
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