EF-1 tornado causes significant damage in New York as storms sweep across Northeast

New York resident rescues kittens trapped after EF-1 tornado

Jess Anderson came upon complete destruction after an EF-1 tornado hit his Cattaraugus County, New York community on Monday. After checking on the residents, they told him there were kittens in the destroyed barn. He was able to find and rescue all five kittens. 

GREAT VALLEY, N.Y. – Powerful thunderstorms tore across portions of the Northeast on Monday, including reports of a tornado in western New York state that left behind a trail of damage.

Millions of people from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast were on alert for the potential for severe weather on Monday after numerous storms caused damage from the Plains to the Southeast over the weekend.

Deadly storms tore across portions of Mississippi and Georgia, and a reported tornado tore through an Oklahoma city last week. And on Sunday, Texas was hammered by powerful storms producing 100-mph wind gusts and grapefruit-sized hail. There were also reports of possible tornadoes in Virginia on Sunday.

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On Monday evening, officials in Cayuga County, New York, said a 63-year-old man was rushed to a hospital after he was struck by lightning while inside his home.

According to the sheriff's office, the man was inside an enclosed porch at his home on Main Street in Locke when lightning struck either the porch or window, injuring him.

He was taken to a local hospital to be treated for injuries, but his condition is unknown.

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Watch: Drone video shows aftermath of tornado-warned storm in New York

A dramatic drone video provided an aerial look at damage left behind when a tornado-warned storm swept through the Great Valley area in Cattaraugus County, New York, on Monday, June 9.

Meanwhile, dramatic drone video captured the aftermath of an EF-1 tornado that tore across the Great Valley area in Cattaraugus County in western New York on Monday afternoon.

The video shows significant damage to homes, farms that had been leveled and countless trees that were brought down by the twister's powerful winds.

The National Weather Service office in Buffalo had issued a Tornado Warning at the time for the Great Valley area, including surrounding communities such as Franklinville, Humphrey and Ellicottville.

A team from NWS in Buffalo went out on Monday to survey the area and found damage consistent with an EF-1 tornado based on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. According to the preliminary report, the twister had maximum winds of 110 mph and started in Great Valley. The tornado lifted about 2.4 miles later in Humphrey, New York.

In addition, the NWS had warned about the threat of pea-sized hail as the storm was moving through.

To the south, severe weather also left behind damage after tearing across portions of Pennsylvania.

Severe storms cause flooding, destroy barns in Venango, PA

Severe storms caused flash flooding and wind gusts destroyed several barns in Venango, Pennsylvania on Monday night.

Video recorded in Venango Township shows barns that had been destroyed by powerful winds when the storms were moving through the area on Monday.