Alert archive / New York / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 139, NWS Buffalo, NY

August 24, 1998Allegany County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 24, 1998, 10:42 AM EDT for Allegany County, New York. It was in force for 63 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: Aug 24, 1998, 10:42 AM EDT (14:42 UTC)
Expired: Aug 24, 1998, 11:45 AM EDT
In force: 63 min
Issued by: NWS Buffalo, NY
Area: Whole counties

County Allegany County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:42 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Aug 24, 10:52 AM EDT	Hail 0.75	Bolivar, 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Aug 24, 9:00 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 93 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1420 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -55 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 952 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 138 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 203 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.0
Supercell composite: 8.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

775 
WUUS1 KBUF 241444 RRA
SVRBUF
NYC003-241545-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1042 AM EDT MON AUG 24 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO NY HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN ALLEGANY COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK

* UNTIL 1145 AM EDT

* AT 1037 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ENTERING SOUTH
  WEST ALLEGANY COUNTY...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BOLIVAR
  FRIENDSHIP
  WELLSVILLE

IF YOU ARE IN THESE AREAS...SEEK SAFETY IN A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM
AWAY FROM WINDOWS. A BASEMENT OFFERS THE BEST PROTECTION.

BE ON THE ALERT FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANIED BY DAMAGING
WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HAIL. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL
MAY ALSO PRODUCE DRAINAGE FLOODING.

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 24, 4:45 AM EDT, 5 hours 57 minutes before

NYZ001>008-010>014-019>021-250000-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
445 AM EDT MON AUG 24 1998

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN AND
NORTHERN NEW YORK THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

A SOUTHWEST FLOW OF WARM HUMID AIR WILL CONTINUE ACROSS WESTERN NEW
YORK TODAY AND TONIGHT. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE PASSING TO THE
NORTH OF THE REGION LATER TODAY COULD BE THE IMPETUS NEEDED TO
TRIGGER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE AREA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD CONTAIN DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.
BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE IN THE AIR...THE THUNDERSTORMS
WOULD ALSO PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS WHICH MAY RESULT IN LOWLAND AND
POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF WEATHER
INFORMATION...FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS DEVELOPING SEVERE
WEATHER SITUATION.

SKYWARN ACTIVITATION IS POSSIBLE TODAY. SKYWARN SPOTTERS AND
EMERGENCY MANAGMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE READY TO BE ACTIVATED.

LEVAN

Special weather statement, Aug 24, 4:45 AM EDT, 5 hours 57 minutes before

NYZ001>008-010>014-019>021-250000-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
445 AM EDT MON AUG 24 1998

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN AND
NORTHERN NEW YORK THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

A SOUTHWEST FLOW OF WARM HUMID AIR WILL CONTINUE ACROSS WESTERN NEW
YORK TODAY AND TONIGHT. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE PASSING TO THE
NORTH OF THE REGION LATER TODAY COULD BE THE IMPETUS NEEDED TO
TRIGGER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE AREA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD CONTAIN DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.
BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE IN THE AIR...THE THUNDERSTORMS
WOULD ALSO PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS WHICH MAY RESULT IN LOWLAND AND
POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF WEATHER
INFORMATION...FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS DEVELOPING SEVERE
WEATHER SITUATION.

SKYWARN ACTIVITATION IS POSSIBLE TODAY. SKYWARN SPOTTERS AND
EMERGENCY MANAGMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE READY TO BE ACTIVATED.

LEVAN

Local storm report, Aug 24, 7:04 AM EDT, 3 hours 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NEW YORK
704 AM EDT MON AUG 24 1998

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0550 AM    GREECE                    NY   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/98   MONROE                         COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTS
                                          NUMEROUS TREES AND LINES
                                          DOWN

0630 AM    SODUS                     NY   58 MPH TSTM GUST
08/24/98   WAYNE                          SPOTTER REPORTS NUMEROUS
                                          TREES DOWN

Local storm report, Aug 24, 7:17 AM EDT, 3 hours 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NEW YORK
717 AM EDT MON AUG 24 1998

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0705 AM    FARMINGTON                NY   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/98   ONTARIO                        COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTS
                                          TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0712 AM    CANANDAIGUA               NY   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/98   ONTARIO                        COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTS
                                          TREES DOWN

Local storm report, Aug 24, 9:37 AM EDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NEW YORK
937 AM EDT MON AUG 24 1998

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0630 AM    GREECE                    NY   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/98   MONROE                         TREES DOWN

0650 AM    CONQUEST                  NY   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/98   CAYUGA                         COUNTY FIRE DISPATCH
                                          REPORT TREES DOWN

0653 AM    CATO                      NY   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/98   CAYUGA                         TREES DOWN

0813 AM    IRA                       NY   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/98   CAYUGA                         TREES DOWN

Local storm report, Aug 24, 10:29 AM EDT, 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NEW YORK
1029 AM EDT MON AUG 24 1998

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0935 AM    FREWSBURG                 NY   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/98   CHAUTAUQUA                     POWER LINES DOWN

0939 AM    CLYMER                    NY   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/98   CHAUTAUQUA                     TREES DOWN

1018 AM    RANDOLPH                  NY   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/98   CATTARAUGUS                    TREES AND WIRES DOWN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 23, 8:10 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Oswego	60 min
Aug 23, 9:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Oswego	60 min
Aug 24, 5:37 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Monroe	63 min
Aug 24, 6:58 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Ontario	67 min
Aug 24, 9:17 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Chautauqua	78 min
Aug 24, 10:15 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Cattaraugus	65 min
Aug 24, 11:52 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Jefferson	93 min
Aug 24, 4:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Jefferson	60 min
Aug 24, 5:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Cayuga, Oswego	61 min
Aug 24, 6:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Wayne	61 min
Aug 24, 6:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Cayuga, Oswego	63 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New York, 1998 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.