BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tornadoes touched down in both Chautauqua County and Erie County on Wednesday afternoon, as severe storms caused widespread damage across Western New York.
The first tornado touched down in Arkwright at 12:06 p.m., the National Weather Service confirmed Wednesday night. That Chautauqua County tornado was classified as an EF-1 and ended at 12:14 p.m. in the Town of Hanover.
The tornado had an estimated peak wind of 110 mph, traveled three miles, and had a width of 150 yards.
The National Weather Service said minor roof and hardwood tree damage was reported along Henry Road in Arkwright, with more tree damage found on Putnam, Zahm, and Bradigah roads.
"The most damage was noted along Prospect Road as multiple structures experienced roof failure, wall blow out, and an entire grove of hardwood trees was either uprooted or snapped off fully," the NWS said.
The second twister touched down at 12:40 p.m. in the Town of Eden and ended four minutes later. The Erie County tornado was classified as an EF-0. It had an estimated peak wind of 85 mph, traveled nine-tenths of a mile, and had a width of 75 yards.
The area with the most damage was in the area around Gary Drive and Sauer Road, according to the NWS.
In that location, multiple building had uprooted shallow rooted trees fall onto them. This was by far the area of greatest damage extend and the end of the path of this tornado," the weather agency said.
The National Weather Service confirmed Thursday morning a third tornado touched down Wednesday. This one in Genesee County.
The EF-0 tornado had peak winds of 75 MPH and spanned one mile and caused mostly tree damage.