NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
September marked the end of the warm season for the United States and the tornado activity continued its annual decline. According to the SPC, during September there were 59 preliminary tornado reports across the country, which was slightly below the 30-year average. The majority of the tornado activity during the month occurred across the southern Plains and the Ohio River Valley.
The most active tornado day during September was the 16th, when there 19 preliminary tornado reports across the Ohio River Valley and the Northeast. A strong storm system moved through the region bringing a round of severe weather to southern Ohio and northwest West Virginia. Six tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service with 30 homes destroyed and 15 injuries reported. The strongest tornado of the outbreak occurred near Belleville, West Virginia. The EF-3 tornado had winds of 160 mph, a path width of 300 yards, and was on the ground for 2.5 miles (4 km). The tornado was responsible for one death, marking the first tornado-related death in West Virginia in over a decade. The same storm system brought two confirmed tornadoes to New York an EF-0 in Brooklyn and an EF-1 in Queens County. The Queens County tornado brought winds of 100 mph (160 km/hr) and was associated with one fatality. A macroburst was also reported in Queens County, New York and brought winds of 125 mph (200 km/hr). These two tornadoes mark the second and third tornadoes this year to affect the greater New York City metropolitan area.