1904 Chappaqua tornado
Encyclopedia
The 1904 Chappaqua tornado was an intense tornado that struck northern Westchester County, New York during the afternoon of July 16, 1904. As of 2009, this tornado ranks as the strongest tornado to touch down in the county, ranking as F3 on the modern-day Fujita Scale
. The tornado formed around 3:30 pm EST within a severe thunderstorm near Chappaqua, New York
. The tornado quickly began to produce damage in the town, destroying several structures and killing two people. Homes were knocked off their foundations and rolled over along the tornado's path. By 4:00 pm EST, the tornado dissipated and left $100,000 (1904 USD; $2.4 million 2009 USD) worth of damage in its wake. Hail associated with the same storm cell also inflicted damage upon a few structures. The tornado is known as the worst disaster in the history of Chappaqua.
in Chappaqua, New York
. Residents reported the first indication of the thunderstorm was a large black cloud approaching the region. The sky was reportedly completely dark as torrential rain and high winds commenced. Intense lightning and loud thunder prompted people to seek shelter in their cellars. The tornado tracked directly through Chappaqua before moving towards the Hudson River
. Upon reaching the river, the tornado became a waterspout
that was powerful enough to uncover the river bed below it. The waterspout eventually dissipated by 4:00 pm EST. The tornado was later rated as F3 on the modern-day Fujita scale
.
.
The five homes destroyed were wood-frame, two-and-a-half-story buildings, one of which was lifted off its foundation and flipped over before falling to the ground, being demolished on impact. One of the home's occupants was killed after the chimney fell on her. Another person died from shock after seeing her home destroyed. The other four homes were all located within 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) of each other. One of the destroyed homes belonged to Walter Snarles; he saw the tornado approaching his home and saved his life by jumping out a window before the home was rolled over by the tornado. Another home belonged to Mrs. Hester Cox; she sustained minor bruises after her home was also rolled over. Nearby, the home of Mr. Marrow was also destroyed; at the time of the tornado, he, his daughter and his niece were inside. The home was turned over on its side; debris injured the two girls, knocking the niece unconscious.
A barn belonging to Charles Dodge was destroyed, while the Kensico Cemetery sustained significant hail damage. All the glass on one of the conservatories was shattered. Within hours after the tornado, nearby firefighters rushed to the town to assist victims of the storm. During the nighttime hours, they patrolled the streets and watched over destroyed homes to prevent looters from stealing any valuable items left in the debris. Property damage from the tornado was estimated at $100,000 (1904 USD) and five families were left homeless. Following an assessment of the damage, debris from destroyed homes was found upwards of 3 miles (4.8 km) from Chappaqua, including a marriage certificate. A calf was picked up and tossed roughly 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) before landing in an open field unharmed. Two plants were also thrown roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) by the tornado.
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
. The tornado formed around 3:30 pm EST within a severe thunderstorm near Chappaqua, New York
Chappaqua, New York
Chappaqua is a hamlet and census-designated place in northern Westchester County, New York. As of the 2010 census, following a major revision to the delineation of its boundaries by the Census Bureau, the population was 1,436...
. The tornado quickly began to produce damage in the town, destroying several structures and killing two people. Homes were knocked off their foundations and rolled over along the tornado's path. By 4:00 pm EST, the tornado dissipated and left $100,000 (1904 USD; $2.4 million 2009 USD) worth of damage in its wake. Hail associated with the same storm cell also inflicted damage upon a few structures. The tornado is known as the worst disaster in the history of Chappaqua.
Synopsis
During the afternoon of July 16, 1904, a severe thunderstorm produced a strong tornado that touched down around 3:30 pm ESTEastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
in Chappaqua, New York
Chappaqua, New York
Chappaqua is a hamlet and census-designated place in northern Westchester County, New York. As of the 2010 census, following a major revision to the delineation of its boundaries by the Census Bureau, the population was 1,436...
. Residents reported the first indication of the thunderstorm was a large black cloud approaching the region. The sky was reportedly completely dark as torrential rain and high winds commenced. Intense lightning and loud thunder prompted people to seek shelter in their cellars. The tornado tracked directly through Chappaqua before moving towards the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. Upon reaching the river, the tornado became a waterspout
Waterspout
A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex that occurs over a body of water and is connected to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form, it is a non-supercell tornado over water. While it is often weaker than most of its land counterparts, stronger versions spawned by mesocyclones do occur...
that was powerful enough to uncover the river bed below it. The waterspout eventually dissipated by 4:00 pm EST. The tornado was later rated as F3 on the modern-day Fujita scale
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
.
Impact
At the time of the tornado, roughly 1,000 people lived in the town of Chappaqua. Five homes and three barns were destroyed by the tornado and two people, 80-year-old Mrs. Mary Hibbs and an unknown woman, were killed; six additional people were injured. Orchards in the path of the tornado were completely destroyed and greenhouses were leveled. The severity of lightning during the storm caused many women to faint according to The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
The five homes destroyed were wood-frame, two-and-a-half-story buildings, one of which was lifted off its foundation and flipped over before falling to the ground, being demolished on impact. One of the home's occupants was killed after the chimney fell on her. Another person died from shock after seeing her home destroyed. The other four homes were all located within 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) of each other. One of the destroyed homes belonged to Walter Snarles; he saw the tornado approaching his home and saved his life by jumping out a window before the home was rolled over by the tornado. Another home belonged to Mrs. Hester Cox; she sustained minor bruises after her home was also rolled over. Nearby, the home of Mr. Marrow was also destroyed; at the time of the tornado, he, his daughter and his niece were inside. The home was turned over on its side; debris injured the two girls, knocking the niece unconscious.
A barn belonging to Charles Dodge was destroyed, while the Kensico Cemetery sustained significant hail damage. All the glass on one of the conservatories was shattered. Within hours after the tornado, nearby firefighters rushed to the town to assist victims of the storm. During the nighttime hours, they patrolled the streets and watched over destroyed homes to prevent looters from stealing any valuable items left in the debris. Property damage from the tornado was estimated at $100,000 (1904 USD) and five families were left homeless. Following an assessment of the damage, debris from destroyed homes was found upwards of 3 miles (4.8 km) from Chappaqua, including a marriage certificate. A calf was picked up and tossed roughly 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) before landing in an open field unharmed. Two plants were also thrown roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) by the tornado.
See also
- List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- 1900 Westchester County tornado1900 Westchester County tornadoThe 1900 Westchester County tornado was an intense, but short-lived tornado that caused significant damage near the city of New Rochelle.-Synopsis:...
- 2006 Westchester County tornado2006 Westchester County tornadoThe 2006 Westchester County tornado was the strongest and largest tornado in the history of Westchester County, New York. It touched down there on July 12, 2006 and traveled into southwestern Connecticut during a 33-minute span through two states...