Alert archive / New York / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Buffalo, NY

July 26, 2009Cattaraugus County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this tornado warning at Jul 26, 2009, 6:59 PM EDT for Cattaraugus County, New York. It was in force for 46 min. 1 report 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 26, 2009, 6:59 PM EDT (22:59 UTC)
Expired
Jul 26, 2009, 7:45 PM EDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Cattaraugus County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 101 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:59 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 26, 7:10 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGAllegany Park, NYTWO TREES DOWN AND NUMEROUS BRANCHES DOWN.

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 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 99 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 2009-07-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 267 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 2009-07-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 27 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
267 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
820 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
15 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KBUF 262259
TORBUF
NYC009-262345-
/O.NEW.KBUF.TO.W.0004.090726T2259Z-090726T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
659 PM EDT SUN JUL 26 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL CATTARAUGUS COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT

* AT 657 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES WEST OF
  ALLEGANY PARK...OR 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SALAMANCA...MOVING EAST AT
  20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  ALLEGANY PARK BY 715 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 4200 7895 4207 7895 4214 7848 4199 7847
TIME...MOT...LOC 2258Z 270DEG 19KT 4204 7891

$$

THOMAS
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS51 KBUF 262328
SVSBUF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
728 PM EDT SUN JUL 26 2009

NYC009-262345-
/O.CON.KBUF.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-090726T2345Z/
CATTARAUGUS NY-
728 PM EDT SUN JUL 26 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM EDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL CATTARAUGUS COUNTY...

AT 728 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR LIMESTONE...OR 7
MILES NORTHWEST OF BRADFORD...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  LIMESTONE BY 735 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 4200 7885 4209 7885 4214 7848 4199 7847
TIME...MOT...LOC 2328Z 268DEG 19KT 4204 7870

$$

THOMAS
000 
WWUS51 KBUF 262346
SVSBUF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
746 PM EDT SUN JUL 26 2009

NYC009-262356-
/O.EXP.KBUF.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-090726T2345Z/
CATTARAUGUS NY-
746 PM EDT SUN JUL 26 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL CATTARAUGUS COUNTY HAS
EXPIRED...

AT 746 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THAT THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WITH THE POSSIBLE TORNADO HAD WEAKENED AND NO LONGER
APPEARED CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES OR OTHER SEVERE WEATHER...
THUS THE WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 4200 7885 4209 7885 4214 7848 4199 7847
TIME...MOT...LOC 2328Z 268DEG 19KT 4204 7870

$$

RSH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 25, 8:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFMonroe, Ontario, Wayne41 min
Jul 25, 8:07 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF76 min
Jul 25, 9:35 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF55 min
Jul 26, 1:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFGenesee, Wyoming39 min
Jul 26, 3:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFCayuga, Oswego, Wayne50 min
Jul 26, 3:45 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF57 min
Jul 26, 4:48 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBUFCayuga, Ontario, Wayne117 min
Jul 26, 5:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFCayuga, Ontario, Wayne58 min
Jul 26, 5:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFCayuga35 min
Jul 26, 6:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFOswego55 min
Jul 26, 7:24 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF48 min
Jul 26, 7:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFAllegany, Cattaraugus37 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.