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NWS: Tornado touches down on Fishers Island

The National Weather Service confirmed a weak tornado touched down on Fishers Island Monday morning.

The EF0 tornado sustained maximum winds of 65-85 mph when it hit the island. It started as a waterspout and became a tornado when it made landfall 7:35 a.m. before heading back out over the water, according to preliminary reports from the National Weather Service.

The tornado was confirmed as an EF0, the weakest on the Enhanced Fujita scale which ranges from 0-5. It was enough to knock down numerous trees and lift some small buildings off their foundations. Boats were tossed around near the water.

The power was still out across the island Monday afternoon. No fatalities or injuries were reported, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said.

“It ripped quite a few trees out, but there were no injuries,” Mr. Russell said. “Once the power is back on we can get the highway department out there to do an evaluation as to what trees are in public roads. We will be canvassing and repairing what we have to.”

Meteorologist David Stark of the National Weather Service said this is the first tornado on record for Fishers Island. The National Weather Service started keeping records in 1950 and the last tornado to touchdown in Southold Town was in Mattituck in 2016.

Mr. Stark added that a survey team would visit Fishers Island Tuesday along with other officials to inspect the damage firsthand.

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