Experts: Fort Edward storm was straight-line winds, not tornado

FORT EDWARD – The National Weather Service was on the ground in Washington County on Wednesday, looking into if a tornado possibly caused some of Tuesday’s storm damage.

Their conclusion was that residents of Fort Edward were done in by straight line winds. There seems to be plenty of evidence to back up that conclusion. Steve DiRienzo with the National Weather Service says the trees all fell in the same direction, with no sign of twisting.

Most of the damage seems to have occurred in the North River Road neighborhood. Tall trees were topped by the heavy winds stirred up by Tuesday’s powerful thunderstorm. Many of the trees were uprooted and lifted right out of the ground. Some tumbled harmlessly to the ground. Others fell onto homes, roofs, garages or barns, causing significant damage.

Cleanup on many properties became a daylong adventure Wednesday. Some of it may stretch into Thursday.

After being trapped in her house and rescued, one woman -75-year-old Penelope Perry – was hospitalized and treated for minor injuries. NewsChannel 13 is told Perry is now out of the hospital.

Take a look at some of the damage by watching the video of Dan Levy’s story.