Supercell storm blows through Ithaca and downs trees, electrical wires
Meteorologist Adam Gill confirmed a tornado warning near Ithaca on July 3, but no evidence of a tornado touchdown. The storm produced strong winds and extensive damage, including downed trees and wires, Gill said during a July 7 interview.
"That storm produced what's called a rear flank downdraft, and in that rear flank downdraft, there is frequently 70 to 90 mile an hour winds, so there's a pretty broad swath of damage, basically extending some the Ithaca all the way Southeast through Binghamton and then down into Northeast Pennsylvania," he said.
Prior reports and communications sent to The Ithaca Journal from residents in Newfield, Enfield and Danby suggest localized damage and outages.
A video by Ithaca-area photographer Cindy Massicci, which has since been featured in ABC World News, showed the world a view of the skies in the Ithaca area on the evening of July 3.
More than 1,500 people in Ithaca were without power for the night of July 3 as upwards of 50 electrical poles were repaired throughout the region, according to NYSEG statements.
This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: July 3 Ithaca storm was a 'significant supercell,' meteorologists say
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Then there were gasps and exclamations of 'oh my God' as the girls laid their eyes on the scale of the disaster. Cars stacked up on top of each other and turned upside down. Piles upon piles of debris in place of their beloved second home. Walls ripped off of the buildings where they made their summer memories with friends turned sisters. Now, word was starting to spread of campers still unaccounted for. 'Wake up, Caroline, wake up. This is not real. I'm in a dream,' Cutrona told herself. Parents held their breaths, agonizingly waiting and praying the goodbyes they said to their daughters would not be their last. Hundreds of local, state and federal crews in helicopters and on boats began the extensive search for the girls that afternoon, combing the area and picking up campers and their counselors out of trees. The girls who made it onto the school buses arrived at Ingram Elementary, where they were reunited in tearful embraces. It had been a long day for the cold, hungry and sleep-deprived children, who were emotionally shaken and ready to head home. Only days later would the fallout come into focus: At least 27 campers and counselors were dead. Young and old generations of campgoers, who credit the almost century-old Camp Mystic for shaping them and teaching them essential life skills, were left to grapple with the devastation. At a Monday vigil honoring the victims, Stacey Merchant said she received the first letter her 12-year-old daughter, Reese, sent from camp in the mailbox Monday. Her daughter was safely evacuated. 'I just realized today that some parents are gonna be getting letters, that first letter, from their daughter today,' Owens told CNN affiliate KTRK as her voice broke. 'And that's heartbreaking to even imagine.' Mourners linked hands, singing, 'From the lake, from the hills, from the sky; all is well, safely rest, God is nigh. Goodnight, Camp Mystic, we love you.' CNN's Anderson Cooper, Ed Lavandera, Caroll Alvarado, Graham Hurley, Cindy Von Quednow, Aditi Sangal, Sarah Dewberry, Shoshana Dubnow, Sara Smart, Emma Tucker and Taylor Galgano contributed to this report.
