An EF-1 tornado touched down in Allegany County late Friday night, a National Weather Service Storm Survey Team confirmed. Their preliminary survey results confirmed the tornado, which carried maximum winds of 100 mph.
According to the NWS Storm Survey Team, a discontinuous path of damage was observed along a 6-mile stretch across the towns of Wirt and Friendship.
According to the NWS report:
"The first instance of damage noted near the touchdown point was several hardwood and softwood trees uprooted and snapped in a heavily forested area along Clair Carrier Rd. The tornado then continued in a northeast direction and crossed Burdick Road, producing minor tree damage. The tornado then intensified as it crossed County Route 34 and produced extensive tree damage with several dozen hardwood and softwood trees snapped or uprooted along a concentrated path, including several large trees. Damage in this area was rated EF-1.
The tornado damage then temporarily ended near a ridge line to the northeast of County Route 34, with no visible damage noted as the storm crossed New York Route 275.
The tornado touched down again in a heavily forested area near a residence on Wells Road, with several dozen softwood trees snapped or uprooted. Most of the trees in this area were pine. One tree fell on a nearby residence and produced minor roof damage, but none of the structures in the area had any direct damage from wind. Damage in this area was rated EF-1. The tornado continued in a northeast direction and weakened, with sporadic minor tree damage noted along East Hill Rd and County Route 31. The damage ended in a heavily forested area to the northeast of County Route 31."