Alert archive / New York / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Buffalo, NY

May 26, 2011Chautauqua County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this tornado warning at May 26, 2011, 5:43 PM EDT for Chautauqua County, New York. It was in force for 32 min. 2 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 26, 2011, 5:43 PM EDT (21:43 UTC)
Expired
May 26, 2011, 6:15 PM EDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Chautauqua County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:44 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 26, 5:50 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGSherman, NYTREES WIRES DOWN
May 26, 6:00 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGMayville, NYTREES WIRES 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, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 102 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 2011-05-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 72 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 2011-05-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 106 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
72 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-52 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
868 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
106 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
329 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

667 
WFUS51 KBUF 262143
TORBUF
NYC013-262215-
/O.NEW.KBUF.TO.W.0003.110526T2143Z-110526T2215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
543 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...

* UNTIL 615 PM EDT

* AT 539 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 4 MILES SOUTH OF
  FINDLEY LAKE...OR 25 MILES WEST OF JAMESTOWN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
  55 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
   SHERMAN...
   BEMUS POINT...
   CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTE...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT THURSDAY EVENING
FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK.

&&

LAT...LON 4237 7928 4213 7921 4201 7976 4215 7977
TIME...MOT...LOC 2142Z 240DEG 49KT 4209 7968

$$

HIBBERT
2 follow-up statements
664 
WWUS51 KBUF 262157
SVSBUF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
557 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011

NYC013-262215-
/O.CON.KBUF.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-110526T2215Z/
CHAUTAUQUA NY-
557 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM EDT FOR CENTRAL
CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY...

AT 549 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO.  THIS POSSIBLE TORNADO 
WAS LOCATED NEAR SHERMAN...OR 18 MILES WEST OF JAMESTOWN...MOVING 
NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  STOCKTON...
  CASSADAGA...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

&&

LAT...LON 4237 7928 4217 7932 4210 7961 4218 7964
TIME...MOT...LOC 2156Z 236DEG 49KT 4220 7948

$$

TMA
818 
WWUS51 KBUF 262216
SVSBUF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
616 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011

NYC013-262225-
/O.EXP.KBUF.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-110526T2215Z/
CHAUTAUQUA NY-
616 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY HAS BEEN 
REPLACED BY A NEW WARNING FOR CENTRAL CHAUATUAQUA AND NORTHWESTERN 
CATTARAUGUS COUNTY THAT RUNS UNTIL 7 PM EDT...

AT 615 PM 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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT
FRIDAY MORNING FOR WESTERN NEW YORK.

LAT...LON 4237 7928 4217 7932 4210 7961 4218 7964
TIME...MOT...LOC 2215Z 236DEG 49KT 4234 7919

$$

RSH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 25, 8:28 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBUFChautauqua62 min
May 25, 9:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFChautauqua59 min
May 25, 9:03 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF57 min
May 25, 9:41 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBUFErie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming3 hr
May 25, 9:46 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF44 min
May 25, 10:11 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBUFCattaraugus, Chautauqua3 hr
May 25, 10:14 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF31 min
May 26, 7:03 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBUFGenesee, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans57 min
May 26, 10:22 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFJefferson53 min
May 26, 2:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFLewis64 min
May 26, 3:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFLewis40 min
May 26, 3:37 PM EDTSmall Craft AdvisoryBUF19 hr
May 26, 5:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFChautauqua60 min
May 26, 6:08 PM EDTTornado WarningBUFCattaraugus, Chautauqua38 min
May 26, 7:04 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBUFGenesee, Monroe56 min
May 26, 7:05 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBUFChautauqua3 hr
May 26, 7:24 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF51 min
May 26, 7:38 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF54 min
May 26, 7:55 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBUFLewis65 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in New York, 2011Every tornado warning in 2011Tornadoes 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.