Severe thunderstorm watch issued for Upstate NY: 70 mph winds possible late tonight

Syracuse, N.Y. — A last-minute severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for tonight for most of Upstate New York.

Wind gusts of up to 70 mph and hail as big as ping-pong balls are possible until early morning, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said. The watch extends from Columbus, Ohio, to Watertown. In New York, the watch extends from Chautauqua to Oneida counties, and from the Southern Tier to the North Country.

The odds of strong storms are greatest in Western New York, and drop off toward the east.

“An extensive arc of thunderstorms with damaging to severe gusts is expected to sweep eastward and southeastward across the watch area into tonight,” the center said in issuing the watch at 6:15 p.m. “This complex may be preceded by at least isolated cells capable of localized large hail and wind damage.”

The storms have the potential to spawn isolated tornadoes, and could drop enough rain to cause flash flooding, especially in the Southern Tier and Catskills. The eastern strip of Upstate New York will be under a flood watch Friday afternoon as a line of storms hits there.

Storms will move from west to east across the state, reaching Western New York around sunset and Central New York between midnight and 3 a.m.

The thunderstorm watch is in effect until 3 a.m.

A severe thunderstorm watch means that conditions across a wide area are favorable for strong storms. A severe thunderstorm warning is a more focused alert, both in geography and time, and is issued when storms have already formed and are on the move.

Overnight storms can be especially dangerous because people are asleep when storm or tornado warnings are issued.