Alert archive / New York / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Buffalo, NY

May 26, 2011Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this tornado warning at May 26, 2011, 6:08 PM EDT for Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, New York. It was in force for 38 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 26, 2011, 6:08 PM EDT (22:08 UTC)
Expired
May 26, 2011, 6:46 PM EDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Cattaraugus County, NY, Chautauqua County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 73 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:09 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 26, 6:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 72 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.

935 
WFUS51 KBUF 262208
TORBUF
NYC009-013-262300-
/O.NEW.KBUF.TO.W.0004.110526T2208Z-110526T2300Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN CATTARAUGUS COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...
  EAST CENTRAL CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...

* UNTIL 700 PM EDT

* AT 604 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 8 MILES WEST OF
  SINCLAIRVILLE...OR 13 MILES NORTHWEST OF JAMESTOWN...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
   SINCLAIRVILLE...
   CHERRY CREEK...
   SOUTH DAYTON...
   PERRYSBURG...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 MIDNIGHT EDT
FRIDAY MORNING FOR WESTERN NEW YORK.

&&

LAT...LON 4252 7899 4226 7885 4217 7936 4230 7938
TIME...MOT...LOC 2207Z 241DEG 40KT 4225 7937

$$

HITCHCOCK
2 follow-up statements
205 
WWUS51 KBUF 262231
SVSBUF

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

NYC009-013-262300-
/O.CON.KBUF.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-110526T2300Z/
CATTARAUGUS NY-CHAUTAUQUA NY-
631 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT FOR EAST
CENTRAL CHAUTAUQUA AND NORTHWESTERN CATTARAUGUS COUNTIES...

AT 628 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A POSSIBLE TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR SOUTH 
DAYTON...OR 14 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FREDONIA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 
MPH.

THE TORNADO SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...   
   SOUTH DAYTON...
   PERRYSBURG...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 MIDNIGHT EDT
FRIDAY MORNING FOR WESTERN NEW YORK.

&&

LAT...LON 4252 7899 4226 7885 4217 7936 4230 7938
TIME...MOT...LOC 2230Z 241DEG 40KT 4236 7905

$$

HITCHCOCK
516 
WWUS51 KBUF 262246
SVSBUF

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

NYC009-013-262256-
/O.CAN.KBUF.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-110526T2300Z/
CATTARAUGUS NY-CHAUTAUQUA NY-
646 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL CHAUTAUQUA AND NORTHWESTERN
CATTARAUGUS COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

AT 646 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THAT THE SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD EXITED THE WARNED AREA 
AND WEAKENED...THUS THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

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

LAT...LON 4252 7899 4226 7885 4217 7936 4230 7938
TIME...MOT...LOC 2246Z 241DEG 40KT 4244 7884

$$

HITCHCOCK

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, 5:43 PM EDTTornado WarningBUFChautauqua32 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.