A powerful microburst with winds up to 90 mph downed a tree at a campground in New York on Sunday, killing one woman and injuring others, according to the National Weather Service.
The intense microburst occurred about 10:30 a.m. north of Cook Falls, near the southeastern edge of Delaware County, as a line of severe thunderstorms moved across New York. Severe thunderstorm watches and warnings were issued for millions of people across the Northeast on Sunday.
Damage assessment teams from the National Weather Service in Binghamton found scattered damage from the severe weather in Delaware and northern Sullivan counties.
The NWS said the most concentrated damage was in Cooks Hollow and Butternut Grove in the Beaver Kill Valley.
According to the Colchester Police Department, Delaware County 911 dispatchers received multiple calls of a tree falling at Russell Brook Campground and people being trapped in campers.
Rescuers found multiple power lines and downed trees, as well as a woman who had been hit by a fallen tree. Several campers, motorhomes and tents were heavily damaged, some of which had been destroyed by falling trees.
Carol E. Luistro of Edison, New Jersey, was killed when a large tree broke off and fell on her camper, according to Colchester Police.
Another person was injured after being struck in the head by the storm, and others suffered minor injuries, the NWS said.
A witness told the NWS that the winds “suddenly picked up strength and continued for at least five minutes, causing trees to fall one after the other.”
Damage patterns are branching out from the center of the storm’s path, indicating microbursts or straight-line winds that could be as destructive as a weak tornado.
Straight-line winds occur when warm air is forced up into the atmosphere. As the air cools, it condenses and falls to the ground, sending explosive winds to the surface. These powerful winds can reach speeds of up to 100 mph.
