Alert archive / New York / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Buffalo, NY

May 13, 2011Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this flash flood warning at May 13, 2011, 4:17 PM EDT for Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, New York. It was in force for 3 hr. 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
May 13, 2011, 4:17 PM EDT (20:17 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 2011, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Cattaraugus County, NY, Chautauqua County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:19 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
May 13, 4:42 PM EDTFLASH FLOOD3 N Falconer, NYGERRY LEVANT ROAD FLOODED
May 13, 5:10 PM EDTFLASH FLOODSalamanca, NYMULTIPLE ROADS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.
May 13, 5:30 PM EDTFLASH FLOODFalconer, NYFLOODING ON MEE ROAD.
May 13, 5:51 PM EDTFLASH FLOODFalconer, NYFLOODING ON STONE ROAD.

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, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 86 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 2011-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4 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 2011-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 32 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-229 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
969 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
32 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
58 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.

132 
WGUS51 KBUF 132017
FFWBUF
NYC009-013-132315-
/O.NEW.KBUF.FF.W.0003.110513T2017Z-110513T2315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
417 PM EDT FRI MAY 13 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN CATTARAUGUS COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF SALAMANCA...
  CENTRAL CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF JAMESTOWN...

* UNTIL 715 PM EDT

* AT 410 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  FLASH FLOODING FROM A THUNDERSTORM OVER THE WARNED AREA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE
BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

&&

LAT...LON 4226 7865 4201 7867 4208 7945 4229 7941

$$

APFFEL
2 follow-up statements
318 
WGUS71 KBUF 132049
FFSBUF

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
449 PM EDT FRI MAY 13 2011

NYC009-013-132315-
/O.CON.KBUF.FF.W.0003.000000T0000Z-110513T2315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CATTARAUGUS NY-CHAUTAUQUA NY-
449 PM EDT FRI MAY 13 2011

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM EDT FOR
CENTRAL CHAUTAUQUA AND SOUTHWESTERN CATTARAUGUS COUNTIES...

AT 437 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING OVER THE 
WARNED AREA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF TWO INCHES HAS FALLEN 
BETWEEN GERRY AND FALCONER...WITH FLOODING ALREADY REPORTED ON THE 
GERRY LEVANT ROAD. HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE WARNED 
AREA...WITH ADDITIONAL FLASH FLOODING LIKELY AS STORMS SLOWLY SHIFT 
IN LOCATION.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO
AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY
DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL
ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED
ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

&&

LAT...LON 4226 7865 4201 7867 4208 7945 4229 7941

$$

APFFEL
725 
WGUS71 KBUF 132306
FFSBUF

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
706 PM EDT FRI MAY 13 2011

NYC009-013-132315-
/O.EXP.KBUF.FF.W.0003.000000T0000Z-110513T2315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CATTARAUGUS NY-CHAUTAUQUA NY-
706 PM EDT FRI MAY 13 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 715 PM EDT FOR CENTRAL
CHAUTAUQUA AND SOUTHWESTERN CATTARAUGUS COUNTIES...

AT 705 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THAT THE
THUNDERSTORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD WEAKENED...THUS THE FLOOD 
WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 4226 7865 4201 7867 4208 7945 4229 7941

$$

APFFEL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 4:02 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBUFCattaraugus, Chautauqua5 hr
May 13, 4:25 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBUFAllegany5 hr
May 13, 5:01 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningBUFLivingston, Ontario116 min
May 13, 5:14 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningBUFAllegany5 hr
May 13, 5:20 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBUFWyoming55 min
May 13, 5:36 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningBUFCattaraugus, Erie, Wyoming3 hr
May 13, 6:25 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningBUFLivingston, Ontario, Wyoming105 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in New York, 2011Every flash flood warning in 2011

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.