A tornado wrecked havoc in parts of New York late Saturday as a line of thunderstorms lit up the tri-state and dumped rain all night long, officials confirmed.
Several reports of storm damage came in detailing downed trees, power lines, and heavy destruction in Sullivan County, a couple hours north of New York City.
Meteorologists from the National Weather Service toured parts of the county Sunday and confirmed a strong EF-2 tornado was to blame for the previous night's destruction.
Residents in the storm-damage community face weeks of clean-up after the storm ripped apart roofs, uprooted trees and blew away entire barns. The storm left Roscoe, a hamlet in Sullivan County, virtually powerless, knocking out electricity to an estimated 15,000 customers during the height of the storm.
Surveying the damage on Sunday, Dr. Norris Chumley and Catherine Stein Chumley were grateful to be alive after Hahn Road in Callicoon Center turned into tornado alley.
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"Five seconds, if I had walked out and [my wife] had walked out to move our car, the barn would have fallen on us, I'd be dead," Chumley said Sunday.
There were no immediate reports of injuries in the aftermath of Saturday's weather.
Homes in the area were left mostly intact, but several other structures were gone in a matter of minutes. The residents here are no stranger to extreme weather, but it's not everyday a tornado passes through.
"Lots of snow, got through it, wind, hail storms, but nothing like this," said Don Kautz. "I count myself lucky."
Owners of a Apple Pond Farm, which has been in the area for 50 years, found mangled metal and a buried Subaru among the scattered trees and debris.
"Every building here we built our self, so we can remember all those memories," farm owner Dick Riseling said. "We'll rebuild again."
National Weather Service had surveyors on the ground in Roscoe, Callicoon Center and Jeffersonville Sunday morning, where they determined an EF-2 tornado came down around 6:38 p.m. and traveled for nearly 10 miles before letting up around 7 p.m.
"We do occasionally get tornadoes around here," Bryan Greenblatt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service said. "The main point is make sure you have a plan and be prepared for any severe weather it can definitely strike her in the northeast."
