Alert archive / New York / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Buffalo, NY

July 31, 2012Genesee County, Livingston County, Monroe County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this flash flood warning at Jul 31, 2012, 5:22 PM EDT for Genesee County, Livingston County, Monroe County, New York. It was in force for 3 hr. 3 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 31, 2012, 5:22 PM EDT (21:22 UTC)
Expired: Jul 31, 2012, 8:15 PM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Buffalo, NY
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Genesee County, NY, Livingston County, NY, Monroe County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 49 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:23 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 31, 6:05 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	Le Roy, NY	ROADS FLOODED
Jul 31, 6:15 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	Batavia, NY	NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED IN THE CITY. SEVERAL CARS STRANDED IN HIGH WATER.
Jul 31, 6:20 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	Stafford, NY	ROADS FLOODED.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 326 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 666 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1048 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 65 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 63 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.

236 
WGUS51 KBUF 312122
FFWBUF
NYC037-051-055-010015-
/O.NEW.KBUF.FF.W.0004.120731T2122Z-120801T0015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
522 PM EDT TUE JUL 31 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  GENESEE COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF BATAVIA...
  NORTH CENTRAL LIVINGSTON COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...
  SOUTHWESTERN MONROE COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...

* UNTIL 815 PM EDT

* AT 519 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  NUMEROUS SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL OVER   
  MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN GENESEE COUNTY AND PORTIONS OF FAR    
  SOUTHWEST MONROE COUNTY AND NORTHERN LIVINGSTON COUNTY. DOPPLER    
  RADAR INDICATES THAT UP TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN IN THE PAST 
  HOUR. ADDITIONAL LOCAL RAINFALL OF UP TO 2 INCHES IS POSSIBLE      
  THROUGH EARLY EVENING.

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.

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 4287 7846 4298 7846 4314 7782 4296 7776
      4287 7787

$$

HITCHCOCK

2 follow-up statements

439 
WGUS71 KBUF 312224
FFSBUF

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
624 PM EDT TUE JUL 31 2012

NYC037-051-055-010015-
/O.CON.KBUF.FF.W.0004.000000T0000Z-120801T0015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
GENESEE NY-LIVINGSTON NY-MONROE NY-
624 PM EDT TUE JUL 31 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 815 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHWESTERN MONROE...NORTH CENTRAL LIVINGSTON AND GENESEE
COUNTIES...

AT 619 PM EDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED WIDESPREAD 
FLASH FLOODING IN THE CITY OF BATAVIA AND OTHER LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT 
GENESEE COUNTY. NUMEROUS ROADS ARE FLOODED DUE TO EXCESSIVE RAINFALL 
OF 2 TO 3 INCHES WHICH FELL EARLIER THIS EVENING. RAINFALL IS 
TAPERING OFF...HOWEVER EXCESSIVE RUNOFF WILL ALLOW FLOODING TO 
PERSIST INTO THE EVENING.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO BYRON...LE
ROY...CHURCHVILLE...CALEDONIA AND BATAVIA

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 4287 7846 4298 7846 4314 7782 4296 7776
      4287 7787

$$

HITCHCOCK

281 
WGUS71 KBUF 010016
FFSBUF

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
816 PM EDT TUE JUL 31 2012

NYC037-051-055-010026-
/O.EXP.KBUF.FF.W.0004.000000T0000Z-120801T0015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
GENESEE NY-LIVINGSTON NY-MONROE NY-
816 PM EDT TUE JUL 31 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR SOUTHWESTERN MONROE...
NORTH CENTRAL LIVINGSTON AND GENESEE COUNTIES...

FLOOD WATERS ARE RECEDING...THUS THE FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED 
TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 4287 7846 4298 7846 4314 7782 4296 7776
      4287 7787

$$

HITCHCOCK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 31, 4:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Livingston	32 min
Jul 31, 4:50 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BUF	Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Wyoming	3 hr
Jul 31, 5:05 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BUF	Allegany	55 min
Jul 31, 5:13 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BUF		2 hr
Jul 31, 5:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Cayuga, Oswego, Wayne	59 min
Jul 31, 5:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Allegany	52 min
Jul 31, 6:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Oswego	57 min
Jul 31, 6:09 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Jefferson	17 min
Jul 31, 6:10 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BUF		88 min
Jul 31, 6:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Jefferson, Oswego	61 min
Jul 31, 6:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Jefferson, Lewis	72 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in New York, 2012 Every flash flood warning in 2012

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.