Summary
- A major severe weather and tornado outbreak struck central New York
- The environment on this day was characterized by a cold frontal passage, moderate instability, and very strong shear.
- Tools such as the severe weather checklist and high resolution ensembles were useful for anticipating the severity of the event.
- Tornadoes occurred with both supercells and bow echoes. Rotation associated with the bow echoes was not well-detected by the WSR-88D; in these cases forecasters need to be aware of the tornadic potential based on the environment, and watch for subtle indicators for tornadoes within inflow notches or near the apex of the bow.
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