A Tornado Watch is in effect this evening until 10pm for Lewis, Oneida, Herkimer, Madison, Chenango, and Otsego Counties.
This is not a Tornado Warning and it does not mean that there are tornadoes present in the area. This Tornado Watch means that conditions are favorable in the environment this evening for tornadoes. To explain this, when a thunderstorm moves through this evening, there is enough wind shear present to create a tornado. It is not guaranteed to occur, but it is still possible.
We are also watching a Severe Thunderstorm Warning in Northern Herkimer County until 4:15pm. There is a rotating thunderstorm moving northeast at 30mph towards Old Forge. It is producing damaging gusty winds around 60mph and small hail possible.
We are not seeing much thunderstorm activity in the rest of the area this afternoon. However, a line of thunderstorms along a cold front is approaching the area for this evening. We will keep an eye on this and provide updates on this Tornado Watch and any new Severe Thunderstorm Warnings.