By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
FARMERSVILLE — Confirmation of a second tornado in Cattaraugus County on Wednesday night came from the National Weather Service over the weekend.
An EF-0 tornado with estimated winds of 80 mph created a path of down trees a quarter of a mile long, ending near the intersection of Hardy Corners and Healy Road in the town of Farmersville, according to a National Weather Service survey team.
The tornado touched down about 8:16 p.m., moments after a similar tornado touched down in the town of Machias, west of Lime Lake. It ended in a wooded area about two minutes later.
The April 15 tornado in Machias was the second one reported in the town in just over two weeks. On March 31, an EF-1 tornado with winds of 107 mph cut a 1.4-mile path that was 75 yards wide near Maple Valley Road. No injuries were reported.
There were no injuries associated with the Farmersville tornado, but dozens of trees were felled, including one that toppled onto a structure, according to the NWS survey team. An outbuilding was overturned in the wind.
The Farmersville tornado was on the ground for about 2 minutes, according to the National Weather Service. The tree damage was in a convergent pattern that indicates a tornado was present.
The same weather pattern that caused the tornado in Machias on March 31 was associated with large hailstones that hit Gowanda earlier that day.
All three of the tornados reported in New York state this year have occurred in Cattaraugus County.
Last June 9, an EF-1 tornado with 110-mph winds struck along Sugartown Road in the town of Great Valley. Some structures were damaged and hundreds of trees were felled by the winds along the 2.4-mile path of the tornado.
