More than 150,000 customers were without power.
Heavy hail, rain and lightning battered the central part of the state, and the National Weather Service reported wind gusts of 110 mph at Syracuse Airport. Tornado warnings had been issued before the storms struck around 1 a.m., and there were two unconfirmed sightings of twisters.
The 100-foot-high steeple on St. Lucy's Church in Syracuse was blown down.
At the state fair grounds in Syracuse, today's closing day was canceled. Flagpoles at the main entrance were bent in half. Monuments, tents and stands featuring carnival games were blown down and washed away.
Vendor John Perry, 43, was killed when the roof blew off the fairground dairy building and hit the tent he was sleeping in. Beryl Stone, 61, was killed when a tree limb slammed into his trailer.
Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. spokesman Dan Dupee said 80,000 customers in and around Syracuse were without power and repairs could take up to a week. New York State Electric and Gas reported 12,000 customers without power south of Syracuse.
Some 70,000 customers were without electrical power Labor Day in the Rochester area after wind up to 89 mph knocked over trees and 100 utility poles.
At the Casual Estates trailer park in Clay, 5 miles north of Syracuse, lightning ruptured a gas main and forced the evacuation of half the park's 100 trailers. No injuries were reported and police said they had no reports of fire.
Thirteen people were treated for injuries at two hospitals. A 31-year-old woman was in critical condition.
Hospitals throughout the area had broken windows but no patient injuries were reported.
Preliminary assessments by the Red Cross indicate that 18 homes in Onondaga County were destroyed, 127 suffered major damage and 964 had minor damage. Statewide, including Onondaga County figures, more than 2,500 homes were affected, Red Cross officials said Tuesday.
Note from Dan:
Luckily, we were all ok. The storm only caused minor damage to the house, with a tree lying on the back of the garage. We lost our martin house, 16' picnic table and the brick barbeque. We didn't get power back for 4 days, so we lost all of our food in the refrigerator.
We had running, drinkable water, hot water, the burners on our stove to cook, and plenty of candles. It may have been an inconvience, but we had the necessities, and everyone was safe.
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