Alert archive / New York / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Buffalo, NY

July 25, 2009Erie County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this tornado warning at Jul 25, 2009, 4:11 PM EDT for Erie County, New York. It was in force for 18 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
Jul 25, 2009, 4:11 PM EDT (20:11 UTC)
Expired
Jul 25, 2009, 4:29 PM EDT
In force
18 min
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Erie County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 5 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:11 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
Jul 25, 4:16 PM EDTHAIL 0.75Cheektowaga, NYON OFFICIAL BUF METAR OB AT 2016Z
Jul 25, 4:17 PM EDTHAIL 1Cheektowaga, NY1 INCH HAIL AT BUF NWS FORECAST OFFICE
Jul 25, 4:25 PM EDTHAIL 0.88Harris Hill, NY
Jul 25, 4:33 PM EDTHAIL 0.88Clarence Center, NY

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

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 25, 3:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 4 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 2009-07-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 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 12:00Z on 2009-07-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 103 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1504 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
103 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
138 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KBUF 252011
TORBUF
NYC029-252045-
/O.NEW.KBUF.TO.W.0001.090725T2011Z-090725T2045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
411 PM EDT SAT JUL 25 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL ERIE COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...WILLIAMSVILLE...LANCASTER...DEPEW...
  CHEEKTOWAGA...

* UNTIL 445 PM EDT

* AT 410 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR SLOAN...OR
  NEAR CHEEKTOWAGA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  DEPEW BY 425 PM EDT...
  HARRIS HILL BY 430 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
NICKEL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT
SATURDAY EVENING FOR WESTERN NEW YORK.

&&

LAT...LON 4308 7865 4291 7850 4286 7878 4291 7884
TIME...MOT...LOC 2011Z 233DEG 18KT 4290 7879

$$

RSH
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS51 KBUF 252029
SVSBUF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
429 PM EDT SAT JUL 25 2009

NYC029-252039-
/O.CAN.KBUF.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-090725T2045Z/
ERIE NY-
429 PM EDT SAT JUL 25 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL ERIE COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

AT 429 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THAT THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD WEAKENED AND WAS NO LONGER
SEVERE...THUS THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

THE STORM THAT HAD THE STRONG ROTATION IN IT IS CROSSING 
NORTHEASTERN ERIE COUNTY AND WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY 
WINDS AND HAIL.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT
SATURDAY EVENING FOR WESTERN NEW YORK.

LAT...LON 4308 7865 4291 7850 4286 7878 4291 7884
TIME...MOT...LOC 2029Z 233DEG 18KT 4295 7869

$$

RSH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 24, 10:05 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF30 min
Jul 25, 3:21 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF54 min
Jul 25, 3:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFErie, Niagara58 min
Jul 25, 4:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFErie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans64 min
Jul 25, 4:40 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF65 min
Jul 25, 5:03 PM EDTTornado WarningBUFGenesee, Monroe, Orleans42 min
Jul 25, 5:14 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF91 min
Jul 25, 5:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFGenesee, Monroe, Orleans65 min
Jul 25, 5:46 PM EDTTornado WarningBUFMonroe44 min
Jul 25, 6:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFGenesee, Livingston, Monroe, Orleans43 min
Jul 25, 6:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFMonroe64 min
Jul 25, 6:58 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF92 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in New York, 2009Every tornado warning in 2009Tornadoes in 2009

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.