Alert archive / New York / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1991

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 35, NWS Buffalo, NY

August 31, 1991Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, Erie County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 31, 1991, 1:15 AM EDT for Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, Erie County, New York. It was in force for 60 min. 4 reports 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
Aug 31, 1991, 1:15 AM EDT (05:15 UTC)
Expired
Aug 31, 1991, 2:15 AM EDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cattaraugus County, NY, Chautauqua County, NY, Erie County, NY

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 31, 1:45 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Chautauqua, NY
Aug 31, 2:05 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Cattaraugus, NY
Aug 31, 2:05 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Erie, NY
Aug 31, 2:25 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Erie, 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, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 59 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 1991-08-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 501 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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 1991-08-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 53 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
501 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-91 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1485 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
67 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBUF 310523 COR
SVRBUF
NYC009-013-029-310615-

BULLETIN  EBS ACTIVATION  REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
120 AM EDT SAT AUG 31 1991

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 215 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING NEW YORK
COUNTIES...

CHAUTAUQUA CATTARAUGUS AND SOUTHERN ERIE COUNTIES

AND INCLUDING THE ADJACENT WATERS OF LAKE ERIE.

AT 115 AM BUFFALO RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER LAKE ERIE.
THE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH AND SHOULD
REACH THE LAKE SHORE OF NEW YORK BETWEEN DUNKIRK AND ANGOLA.

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.

REICH

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, Aug 31, 12:41 AM EDT, 34 minutes before
NYZ001-021-022-002-003-004-005-310600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1240 AM EDT SAT AUG 31 1991

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER LAKE ERIE NEAR LONG POINT...

AT 1230 AM... WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
OVER LAKE ERIE NEAR LONG POINT. THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN
FREQUENT LIGHTNING... STRONG GUSTY WINDS... VERY HEAVY RAINS... AND
POSSIBLY HAIL.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR... AND
SHOULD REACH THE NEW YORK SHORELINE BETWEEN 1 AND 130 AM. THE
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED BACK TO NEAR LONDON ONTARIO. OTHER SHOWERS WERE
ALONG THE CANADIAN SHORELINE OF LAKE ONTARIO BETWEEN TORONTO AND TRENTON.

PERSONS IN CHAUTAUQUA AND SOUTHERN ERIE COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN ALERT...
AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
WEBBER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 31, 1:20 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFErie55 min
Aug 31, 2:15 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFCattaraugus, Erie30 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New York, 1991Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1991

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.