What the record says
On 10 July 1989, a tornado touched down near Ames, New York. The Storm Prediction Center records its path as 42 miles long and up to 1,320 yards wide, rated F4 on the Fujita (F) scale. It injured 20 people.
- F4Fujita rating
- 0deaths
- 20injuries
- 42 mipath length
- 1,320 ydmaximum width
It has its own page because it was rated 4 or 5.
This page gives the official record's figures. Numbers of deaths and injuries are sometimes revised after a survey, and they cannot convey what the day was like for the people who lived through it.
Counties it crossed
The start point was at 42.83, -74.53 and the end point at 42.38, -74.03 (latitude, longitude).
How to read this path
The Storm Prediction Center records most tornadoes as a straight line from the point where they touched down to the point where they lifted. The real path usually curved and was not the same width all the way along. The width given is the widest part. Older records are less precise, and the record starts in 1950.
Source: the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, public domain.
Other notable tornadoes in New York
- Kiryas Joel, New York tornado16 November 1989, F1, 9 deaths, 18 injuries, 9.1 miles long
- East Nassau, New York tornado28 August 1973, F4, 4 deaths, 36 injuries, 9.8 miles long
- Munnsville, New York tornado8 July 2014, EF2, 4 deaths, 2.5 miles long
- Clinton, New York tornado22 June 2025, EF1, 3 deaths, 2.4 miles long
- Sherman, New York tornado2 May 1983, F3, 2 deaths, 28 miles long
- Brewerton, New York tornado2 May 1983, F3, 1 death, 20 miles long
Other notable tornadoes of 1989
- Huntsville, Alabama tornado15 November 1989, F4, 21 deaths, 463 injuries, 18.5 miles long
- Kiryas Joel, New York tornado16 November 1989, F1, 9 deaths, 18 injuries, 9.1 miles long
- Belwood, North Carolina tornado5 May 1989, F4, 4 deaths, 52 injuries, 14 miles long
- Apalachicola, Florida tornado8 June 1989, F2, 3 deaths, 4 injuries, 3 miles long
- Chesnee, South Carolina tornado5 May 1989, F4, 2 deaths, 35 injuries, 15 miles long
All tornadoes of 1989 · New York tornado history · All notable tornadoes