Alert archive / New York / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1993

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 30, NWS Buffalo, NY

August 31, 1993Erie County, Genesee County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 31, 1993, 5:00 PM EDT for Erie County, Genesee County, New York. It was in force for 90 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 31, 1993, 5:00 PM EDT (21:00 UTC)
Expired
Aug 31, 1993, 6:30 PM EDT
In force
90 min
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Whole counties

Counties Erie County, NY, Genesee County, NY

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 18 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 12:00Z on 1993-08-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2434 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 12:00Z on 1993-08-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 156 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
2434 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
802 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
156 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
197 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.7
Supercell composite
9.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBUF 312101 RRA
SVRBUF
NYC029-037-073-312230-

BULLETIN  EBS ACTIVATION  REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
500 PM EDT TUE AUG 31 1993

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 630 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING NEW YORK
COUNTIES...
           NORTHERN ERIE...GENESEE..AND ORLEANS

AT 500 BUFFALO RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING
ALONG NORTHERN ERIE COUNTY INTO PARTS OF GENESEE AND ORLEANS COUNTIES.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST 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.  REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE
TORNADOES.
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES GO TO A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY.
IN HOMES...A BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM IS THE SAFEST LOCATION.
MOBILE HOMES AND AUTOS OFFER LITTLE SHELTER FROM TORNADOES.

THIS WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 630 PM EDT.

LEVAN

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, 1:40 PM EDT, 3 hours 20 minutes before
NYZ001-021-022-002-003-004-005-311840-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
140 PM EDT TUE AUG 31 1993

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF WESTERN NEW YORK UNTIL 800 PM...

AT 130 PM...A 15 MILE WIDE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH
FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS EXTENDED FROM ATTICA NORTHEAST
ACROSS MONROE COUNTY INCLUDING ROCHESTER TO WESTERN WAYNE COUNTY.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO OVER WESTERN LAKE ONTARIO JUST OFF
THE SHORE OF NIAGARA AND ORLEANS COUNTIES.  SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WERE ALSO SCATTERED OVER NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA AND IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO
BETWEEN LAKE SIMCOE AND PETERBOROUGH.

ALL ACTIVITY WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

RRM
Special weather statement, Aug 31, 1:43 PM EDT, 3 hours 17 minutes before
NYZ001-021-022-002-003-004-005-311840-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
140 PM EDT TUE AUG 31 1993

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF WESTERN NEW YORK UNTIL 800 PM...

AT 130 PM...A 15 MILE WIDE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH
FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS EXTENDED FROM ATTICA NORTHEAST
ACROSS MONROE COUNTY INCLUDING ROCHESTER TO WESTERN WAYNE COUNTY.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO OVER WESTERN LAKE ONTARIO JUST OFF
THE SHORE OF NIAGARA AND ORLEANS COUNTIES.  SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WERE ALSO SCATTERED OVER NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA AND IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO
BETWEEN LAKE SIMCOE AND PETERBOROUGH.

ALL ACTIVITY hWAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

RRM
Special weather statement, Aug 31, 1:57 PM EDT, 3 hours 3 minutes before
NYZ002-311900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER NY
145 PM EDT TUE AUG 31 1993

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGHT THE WESTERN FINGER LAKES REGION...

AT 142 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING
FROM GENESEO TO NORTHWEST OF OSWEGO.  THE STRONGEST STORMS EXTENDED FROM
RUSH IN SOUTHERN MONROE COUNTY NORTHEAST TO PULTNEYVILLE IN NORTHERN WAYNE
COUNTY.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL
BE MOVING THROUGH WAYNE AND ONTARIO COUNTIES DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THUNDERSTORMS THAT MAY HAVE GUSTY WINDS FREQUENT
LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE HAIL.  HEAVY DOWNPOURS MAY CAUE POOR DRAINAGE
FLOODING.

KB
Special weather statement, Aug 31, 4:29 PM EDT, 31 minutes before
NYZ002-312200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER NY
425 PM EDT TUE AUG 31 1993

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO SOUTHERN YATES COUNTY....

AT 422 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM PENN YAN SOUTHWEST TO BRADFORD PENNSYLVANIA.  THE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL BE MOVING
THROUGH YATES COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ENTERING
SENECA COUNTY BY 5 PM.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF STRONG WINDS AND SOME HAIL.  IF
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES GO TO A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY.

KB
Special weather statement, Aug 31, 4:45 PM EDT, 15 minutes before
NYZ001-021-022-002-003-004-005-312200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
445 PM EDT TUE AUG 31 1993

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF WESTERN NEW YORK UNTIL 800 PM...

AT 430 PM...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME SEVERE...CONTINUE TO MOVE TO
THE EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING
INTO YATES AND STEUBEN COUNTIES WITH A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING OUT
FRO STEUBEN COUNTY UNTIL 515 PM.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO PRODUCE
TORRENTIAL RAINS...AND ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE
HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

ELSEWHERE...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS WERE OVER
ORLEANS AND NORTHERN GENESEE COUNTY.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT
35 MILES AN HOUR AS WELL.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF ONE OF THESE STORMS...TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
GO TO A BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

DEG
Special weather statement, Aug 31, 4:46 PM EDT, 14 minutes before
NYZ001-021-022-002-003-004-005-312200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
445 PM EDT TUE AUG 31 1993

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF WESTERN NEW YORK UNTIL 800 PM...

AT 430 PM...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME SEVERE...CONTINUE TO MOVE TO
THE EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING
INTO YATES AND STEUBEN COUNTIES WITH A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING OUT
FRO STEUBEN COUNTY UNTIL 515 PM.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO PRODUCE
TORRENTIAL RAINS...AND ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE
HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

ELSEWHERE...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS WERE OVER
ORLEANS AND NORTHERN GENESEE COUNTY.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT
35 MILES AN HOUR AS WELL.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF ONE OF THESE STORMS...TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
GO TO A BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

DEG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 31, 1:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFChautauqua93 min
Aug 31, 2:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFCattaraugus85 min
Aug 31, 3:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFAllegany80 min
Aug 31, 5:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFOrleans90 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New York, 1993Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1993

Sources

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