Alert archive / New York / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 129, NWS Buffalo, NY

August 2, 2008Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 2, 2008, 5:18 AM EDT for Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, New York. It was in force for 57 min. 4 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 2, 2008, 5:18 AM EDT (09:18 UTC)
Expired
Aug 2, 2008, 6:15 AM EDT
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Cattaraugus County, NY, Chautauqua County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 97 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:18 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 2, 5:20 AM EDTTSTM WND DMGGerry, NYTREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
Aug 2, 5:25 AM EDTTSTM WND DMGFalconer, NYTREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
Aug 2, 5:45 AM EDTHAIL 0.75Conewango Valley, NY
Aug 2, 5:55 AM EDTHAIL 0.753 N Steamburg, NY

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 00:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 96 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 2008-08-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 511 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 2008-08-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 43 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
511 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1125 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
43 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
64 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS51 KBUF 020918
SVRBUF
NYC009-013-021015-
/O.NEW.KBUF.SV.W.0129.080802T0918Z-080802T1015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
518 AM EDT SAT AUG 2 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN CATTARAUGUS COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK
  SOUTHEASTERN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK

* UNTIL 615 AM EDT

* AT 515 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN 
  EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF 
  JAMESTOWN...AND MOVING EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  FALCONER BY 530 AM EDT...
  ALLEGANY PARK BY 600 AM EDT...

DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED SOME WEAK ROTATION WITHIN THIS STORM.
WHILE NOT IMMEDIATELY LIKELY...A TORNADO MAY STILL DEVELOP. IF A
TORNADO IS SPOTTED...ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A
STURDY STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM.

IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS
IMMEDIATELY LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS.
REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

LAT...LON 4212 7950 4224 7938 4227 7870 4200 7871
      4199 7900
TIME...MOT...LOC 0918Z 289DEG 35KT 4219 7935

$$

RSH
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS51 KBUF 020950
SVSBUF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
550 AM EDT SAT AUG 2 2008

NYC009-013-021015-
/O.CON.KBUF.SV.W.0129.000000T0000Z-080802T1015Z/
CHAUTAUQUA NY-CATTARAUGUS NY-
550 AM EDT SAT AUG 2 2008

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 AM EDT
FOR SOUTHWESTERN CATTARAUGUS AND EAST CENTRAL CHAUTAUQUA COUNTIES...

AT 541 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR RANDOLPH...OR 9 MILES 
EAST OF JAMESTOWN...MOVING EAST AT 35 TO 40 MPH.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  ALLEGANY PARK BY 605 AM EDT...

LAT...LON 4200 7899 4210 7916 4221 7912 4227 7870
      4200 7871
TIME...MOT...LOC 0950Z 289DEG 35KT 4211 7896

$$

RSH
000 
WWUS51 KBUF 021015
SVSBUF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
615 AM EDT SAT AUG 2 2008

NYC009-013-021025-
/O.EXP.KBUF.SV.W.0129.000000T0000Z-080802T1015Z/
CHAUTAUQUA NY-CATTARAUGUS NY-
615 AM EDT SAT AUG 2 2008

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN CATTARAUGUS AND
EAST CENTRAL CHAUTAUQUA COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...

AT 615 AM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THAT THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WITH THE POSSIBLE TORNADO HAD EXITED THE WARNED AREA...
THUS THE WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 4200 7899 4210 7916 4221 7912 4227 7870
      4200 7871
TIME...MOT...LOC 1015Z 289DEG 35KT 4203 7865

$$

RSH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 2, 12:38 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF37 min
Aug 2, 4:02 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF58 min
Aug 2, 4:27 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFChautauqua63 min
Aug 2, 4:59 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF28 min
Aug 2, 5:44 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFCattaraugus61 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New York, 2008Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2008

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.