Alert archive / New York / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 18, NWS Buffalo, NY

July 18, 1986Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 18, 1986, 10:15 PM EDT for Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, New York. It was in force for 60 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jul 18, 1986, 10:15 PM EDT (02:15 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 1986, 11:15 PM EDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cattaraugus County, NY, Chautauqua County, NY

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 18, 10:50 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Chautauqua, NY

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 78 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 00:00Z on 1986-07-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 698 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 00:00Z on 1986-07-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 113 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
698 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-106 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1256 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
113 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
155 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
3.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KBUF 190211
SVRBUF
NYC009-013-LEZ000-190215-

BULLETIN  IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1015 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1115 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN

WESTERN NEW YORK...CHAUTAUQUA AND CATTARAUGUS

AT 930 PM EDT BUFFALO RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER
CHAUTAUQUA AND CATTARAUGUS COUNTIES. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

BE ON THE ALERT FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANIED BY FREQUENT LIGHTNING..
STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.  LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN MAY ALSO CAUSE
DRAINAGE FLOODING.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES GO TO A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY.  IN
HOMES A BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM IS THE SAFEST LOCATION.

LAZARUS

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 18, 6:27 PM EDT, 3 hours 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER NY
627 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1986

...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY ACROSS SOUTHWEST MONROE...AND ALL OF
LIVINGSTON COUNTY THIS EVENING...

LOW LYING ROADS...CULVERTS...SMALL STREAMS AND OTHER POOR DRAINAGE
AREAS MAY BECOME FLOODED.  PEOPLE IN LETCHWORTH AND STONY BROOK STATE
PARKS SHOULD BE PARTICULARLY ALERT FOR RAPIDLY RISING WATER.

SOME HAIL MAY ALSO ACCOMPANY THE HEAVY RAIN.

GEE
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 8:19 PM EDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER NY
815 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1986

...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE OVER WESTERN NEW YORK TONIGHT...

LOW LYING ROADS...CULVERTS...SMALL STREAMS AND OTHER POOR DRAINAGE
AREAS MAY BECOME FLOODED.  PEOPLE IN LETCHWORTH AND STONY BROOK STATE
PARKS SHOULD BE PARTICULARLY ALERT FOR RAPID RISES IN STREAMS AND
RIVERS.

LW
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 8:31 PM EDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
830 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1986

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED OVER SOUTHERN ERIE..
AND PORTIONS OF CHAUTAUQUA AND CATTARAUGUS COUNTIES THIS EVENING...

PERSONS IN THESE AREAS MAY EXPECT HEAVY RAINS WITH POSSIBLE UNDERPASS
AND POOR DRAINAGE AREA FLOODING. FREQUENT LIGHTNING MAY ACCOMPANY THESE
THUNDERSTORMS.

AT 815 PM EDT ERIE PA. RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN
FROM BUFFALO..TO JUST NORTHWEST OF DUNKIRK NEW YORK.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 TO 40 MPH.

FUTHER STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

LAZARUS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Buffalo, NY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 18, 9:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFCattaraugus, Chautauqua60 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New York, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.