Alert archive / New York / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 6, NWS Buffalo, NY

August 9, 2012Allegany County, Cattaraugus County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this flash flood warning at Aug 9, 2012, 7:20 PM EDT for Allegany County, Cattaraugus 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
Aug 9, 2012, 7:20 PM EDT (23:20 UTC)
Expired
Aug 9, 2012, 10:15 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Allegany County, NY, Cattaraugus County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 97 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:20 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
Aug 9, 7:34 PM EDTFLASH FLOODPortville, NYLILLI BRIDGE ROAD REPORTED FLOODED IN THE VILLAGE OF PORTVILLE.
Aug 9, 7:35 PM EDTFLASH FLOODBolivar, NYFLOODING ON SEVERAL ROADS IN THE TOWN OF BOLIVAR.
Aug 9, 9:15 PM EDTFLASH FLOODOlean, NYREPORT OF FLASH FLOODING ON WEST RIVER RD... OLEAN.

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, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 94 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 2012-08-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2012-08-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 16 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1185 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
30 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.

749 
WGUS51 KBUF 092320
FFWBUF
NYC003-009-100215-
/O.NEW.KBUF.FF.W.0006.120809T2320Z-120810T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
720 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  ALLEGANY COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...
  SOUTHEASTERN CATTARAUGUS COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF OLEAN...

* UNTIL 1015 PM EDT

* AT 715 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER THE WARNED 
  AREA. RAINFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR ARE LIKELY AS 
  THUNDERSTORMS TRAIN NORTHEAST ACROSS THE SAME AREAS. THE RISK      
  FOR FLASH FLOODING WILL BE GREATEST FROM AN AREA STRETCHING FROM 
  OLEAN TO ANGELICA.    

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.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE.

&&

LAT...LON 4200 7864 4243 7804 4237 7772 4234 7772
      4201 7813

$$

TJP
2 follow-up statements
280 
WGUS71 KBUF 100011
FFSBUF

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
811 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012

NYC003-009-100215-
/O.CON.KBUF.FF.W.0006.000000T0000Z-120810T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
ALLEGANY NY-CATTARAUGUS NY-
811 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1015 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN CATTARAUGUS AND ALLEGANY COUNTIES...

AT 803 PM EDT...RADAR ESTIMATES THAT UP TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS 
FALLEN NEAR OLEAN AND PORTVILLE. THERE IS FLASH FLOODING ALREADY 
OCCURRING IN PORTIONS OF PORTVILLE...BOLIVAR...AND NEARBY LOCATIONS. 
ADDITIONAL STORMS ARE APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTHWEST...WITH 
ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL EXPECTED IN THE WARNED AREA. 

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 4200 7864 4243 7804 4237 7772 4234 7772
      4201 7813

$$

APFFEL
179 
WGUS71 KBUF 100129
FFSBUF

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
929 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012

NYC003-009-100215-
/O.CON.KBUF.FF.W.0006.000000T0000Z-120810T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
ALLEGANY NY-CATTARAUGUS NY-
929 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1015 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN CATTARAUGUS AND SOUTHWESTERN ALLEGANY COUNTIES...

AT 925 PM EDT...2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN NEAR PORTVILLE AND 
OLEAN OVER THE PAST THREE HOURS. THIS HAS RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT 
FLOODING IN THE AREA. ALTHOUGH THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAS 
ENDED...CREEKS AND STREAM MAY STILL CONTINUE TO RISE FOR THE NEXT 
HOUR OR TWO AS RAINFALL RUNS OFF. 

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 4200 7857 4216 7841 4217 7809 4201 7813

$$

APFFEL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 9, 3:31 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF44 min
Aug 9, 3:59 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBUFLewis61 min
Aug 9, 4:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFLewis31 min
Aug 9, 6:56 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBUFAllegany49 min
Aug 9, 7:07 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFAllegany, Cattaraugus53 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in New York, 2012Every 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.