Update: The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes in western New York State on Monday.

The first tornado, an EF-0 tornado-like waterspout, made landfall on Grand Island near West River Road and Third Avenue at 4:33 p.m. It lasted three minutes and moved 1.2 miles with peak winds of 85 mph. The tornado damaged some uprooted conifers along First Street and Second Avenue.

The second tornado, an EF-0, touched down in Pembroke on Route 77 at 8:32 p.m. The tornado lasted two minutes, traveled 0.2 miles, and reached peak speeds of 75 mph. It damaged trees at three homes near the hamlet of Indian Falls.

Original: On Monday at 4:36 p.m., several trees and power lines were downed on Grand Island due to the storm.

At 8:34 p.m., major tree breakages were reported in Pembroke due to severe weather.

Was this damage caused by a tornado?

According to the National Weather Service, when tornadoes occur, National Weather Service meteorologists are tasked with conducting a thorough damage assessment. The job of an investigation team is to collect data to reconstruct the life cycle of a tornado, including location, time and place of touchdown and ascent (path length), width, and strength. It should also be noted that investigation teams are occasionally tasked with determining whether damage was caused by straight-line winds or a tornado, and assessing the strength of straight-line winds. When it comes to investigating tornado damage, classifying a tornado is one of the most difficult tasks.

To determine the extent of the tornado, the investigation team tries to find the worst damage, as that is what the tornado will ultimately be classified by. Once the worst damage is identified, the investigation team assigns a damage indicator to the structure or object. There are 28 damage indicators, including one- or two-family homes, manufactured homes, motels, warehouses, schools, small retail buildings (e.g., fast food restaurants), and even trees. Each damage indicator has a description of the typical construction for that indicator category. For example, typical construction for one- and two-family homes includes asphalt shingles, tile, slate, or metal roofs, attached one-car garages, and tile veneer, wood paneling, stucco, vinyl, or metal siding.

The National Weather Service team will determine if a tornado occurred and we will update the report as soon as the information is available.