Rome, N.Y. — A powerful line of thunderstorms Tuesday struck the city and downtown area of Rome, toppling a church steeple, crushing brick walls and sending trees onto homes.
The storm ripped through downtown, leaving businesses with shattered windows, torn sidings and damaged roofs.
Some of the city’s iconic buildings were hit: Windows blew out of the Capitol Theatre on West Dominick Street and the roof was wrecked at the Grand Union Grocery Store on Erie Boulevard.
Tornado-force winds hit nearby Griffiss Air Field at about 3:35 p.m. The weather service reported a high speed of 79 mph.
A massive mural of a man riding a horse, one of the city’s best-known landmarks, has crumbled. Now, only the horse’s feet are visible.
Severe winds ripped through Rome on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, uprooting trees, taking a steeple off a church and shattering windows in downtown businesses.James McClendon
The damage went on for about six to eight blocks from downtown. Dozens of homes were also damaged. Chimneys crumbled and an apartment building had a wall torn off.
More than an hour after the storm blew through, a wall collapsed in the downtown area and caused two cars to catch fire.
A state of emergency was declared Tuesday afternoon by Rome Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan due to the severe weather. Officials urged people to stay out of the city and avoid unnecessary travel.
It was unclear as of 5:30 p.m. whether there were any injuries.
The steeple blew off the former St. Mary’s Church on West Liberty Street. The building lost part of its roof and glass was blown out of its windows.
The First Presbyterian Church also lost part of its roof.
Most of the city was without electric service Tuesday evening, according to National Grid’s website. Across Oneida County, nearly 28,000 customers were without power.
The storm was powerful enough to blow the iconic “Mohawk Valley” B-52 plane at the entrance to the former Griffiss Air Force Base several feet off its platform, officials said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul posted on social media that she had spoken Tuesday evening with Lanigan and Anthony Picente Jr., the Oneida County executive. She pledged the “full support” of the state and was working to send personnel from state agencies to help the area recover from the storms.
This is a breaking story. It will be updated.
Staff writer Glenn Coin can be reached at gcoin@syracuse.com.
Staff writer Jon Moss covers breaking news, crime and public safety. He can be reached at jmoss@syracuse.com or @mossjon7.