Alert archive / New York / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 12, NWS Buffalo, NY
NWS Buffalo, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 17, 1988, 2:30 AM EDT for Chautauqua County, Erie 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 17, 1988, 2:30 AM EDT (06:30 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 17, 1988, 3:30 AM EDT
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- NWS Buffalo, NY
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Chautauqua County, NY, Erie 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 17, 3:00 AM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Chautauqua, 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, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 55 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 7 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -318 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2594 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 41 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 183 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 204 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBUF 170631 SVRBUF NYC029-013-170730- BULLETIN IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY 230 AM EDT SUN JUL 17 1988 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 330 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN WESTERN NEW YORK...ERIE AND NORTHERN CHAUTAUQUA RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER EASTERN LAKE ERIE MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. 50 MPH WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED NEAR ERIE PENNSYLVANIA. 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. SAGE
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 16, 9:43 PM EDT, 4 hours 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY 945 PM EDT SAT JUL 16 1988 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 296 IN EFFECT TIL 10 PM EDT... AT 930 PM...BUFFALO WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.. SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN...SCATTERED ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA. AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN COVERED MUCH OF CHAUTAUQUA AND CATTARAUGUS COUNTIES OF NEW YORK. ELSEWHERE..SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA EXTENDING FROM ERIE TO WILLIAMSPORT. A FEW RAINSHOWERS WERE ALSO BEING DETECTED OVER PARTS OF NIAGARA.. ORLEANS..AND GENESEE COUNTIES. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. LEVAN
Local storm report, Jul 16, 10:35 PM EDT, 3 hours 55 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER NY
1035 PM EDT SAT JUL 16 1988
TIME EVENT
505 PM EDT 3/4 INCH HAIL IN PORTAGEVILLE IN SOUTHWEST
LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
510 PM EDT 3/4 INCH HAIL IN NUNDA IN SOUTHWEST LIVINGSTON
COUNTY.
510 PM EDT WIND DOWNED TREES IN NUNDA...SOUTHWEST LIVINGSTON
COUNTY. REPORTED BY NUNDA FIRE DEPARTMENT.
KBLocal storm report, Jul 16, 11:28 PM EDT, 3 hours 2 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1125 PM EDT SAT JUL 16 1988
245 PM EDT POWER LINES DOWNED..JAMESTOWN NY..CHAUTAUQUA CO.
JAMESTOWN POLICE DEPT.
248 PM EDT DIME SIZE HAIL AND 55 MPH WIND..JAMESTOWN AIRPORT NY..
CHAUTAUQUA CO.
315 PM EDT GRASS FIRE STARTED BY LIGHTNING..RANDOLPH NY..CATTARAUGUS CO
CATTARAUGUS CO. SHERIFF
315 PM EDT LARGE LIMBS DOWN AND POWER OUT..CONEWANGO NY..CATTARAUGUS CO
SPOTTER REPORT
440 PM EDT GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL..ARCADE NY..WYOMING CO
SPOTTER REPORT
440 PM EDT DIME SIZE HAIL..ARCADE NY..WYOMING CO
WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGIST REPORT
445 PM EDT WIRES DOWNED..FRANKLINVILLE NY..CATTARAUGUS CO.
SKYWARN AMATUER RADIO NETWORK
500 PM EDT QUARTER SIZE HAIL..PORTAGEVILLE..WYOMING CO.
HYDRO CO OP OBSERVER
550 PM EDT WIND GUSTS TO 40 KNOTS..YOUNGSTOWN NY..NIAGARA CO.
YOUNGSTOWN COAST GUARD
600 PM EDT WIND GUSTS TO 35 MPH AND HEAVY RAIN..HAMBURG NY..ERIE CO.
WKBW - TV
630 PM EDT ICE CUBE SIZE HAIL, HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WIND. SOME MINOR
FLOODING..FINDLEY LAKE NY..CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY. SPOTTER REPORT
630 PM EDT TREES DOWN, GENESEE ST BLOCKED..CONCORD NY..ERIE CO.
WIBV - TV
640 PM EDT PEA SIZE HAIL, WIND GUSTS OVER 40 MPH, FREQUENT LIGHTNING
LIGHTNING STRUCK A BOAT ON CHAUTAUQUA LAKE..MAYVILLE NY..
CHAUTAUQUA CO. SKYWARN AMATEUR RADIO NETWORK
845 PM EDT HEAVY RAIN, SOME STANDING WATER, TREES DOWN SOUTHWEST PART
OF TOWN..MAYVILLE NY..CHAUTAUQUA CO. SKYWARN AMATEUR RADIO
NETWORK
850 PM EDT 0.92 INCH RAINFALL IN 30 MINUTES 820-850 PM..BEMUS POINT
NY..CHAUTAUQUA CO. SKYWARN AMATEUR RADIO NETWORK
850 PM EDT ONE INCH RAINFALL AND 45 MPH WIND GUSTS..BUSTI NY..
CHAUTAUQUA CO. SPOTTER REPORT
855 PM EDT HEAVY RAIN AND FREQ*UENT LIGHTNING..CATTARAUGUS NY..
CATTARAUGUS CO. CIVIL DEFENSE SPOTTER
1005 PM EDT LIMBS DOWN..SCIO..ALLEGANY CO. SHERIFF
LEVANThe office that day
Everything else NWS Buffalo, NY issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 8:02 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BUF | Chautauqua | 58 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New York, 1988Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1988
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.