Alert archive / New York / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 11, NWS Buffalo, NY

May 3, 2012Allegany County, Cattaraugus County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 3, 2012, 7:13 PM EDT for Allegany County, Cattaraugus County, New York. It was in force for 62 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 3, 2012, 7:13 PM EDT (23:13 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 2012, 8:15 PM EDT
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Allegany County, NY, Cattaraugus County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:16 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 3, 7:14 PM EDTHAIL 12 Nw Portville, NY1 INCH HAIL FELL FOR SEVERAL MINUTES.
May 3, 7:14 PM EDTHAIL 1Portville, NYSEVERAL REPORTS OF 1 INCH HAIL IN THE TOWN.

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, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 106 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 2012-05-03Temperature 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 2012-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 20 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
775 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
20 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
12 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.

686 
WUUS51 KBUF 032313
SVRBUF
NYC003-009-040015-
/O.NEW.KBUF.SV.W.0011.120503T2313Z-120504T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
713 PM EDT THU MAY 3 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN ALLEGANY COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK
  SOUTHEASTERN CATTARAUGUS COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK

* UNTIL 815 PM EDT

* AT 708 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND
  DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
  WESTON MILLS...OR 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OLEAN...AND MOVING NORTHEAST
  AT 30 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  PORTVILLE...
  BOLIVAR...
  RICHBURG...
  WELLSVILLE...
  
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH...PREPARE
IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...AND DEADLY CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

&&

LAT...LON 4200 7842 4207 7844 4233 7793 4233 7773
      4200 7774 4199 7775
TIME...MOT...LOC 2313Z 247DEG 25KT 4204 7830

$$

THOMAS
3 follow-up statements
783 
WWUS51 KBUF 032340
SVSBUF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
740 PM EDT THU MAY 3 2012

NYC009-032347-
/O.CAN.KBUF.SV.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120504T0015Z/
CATTARAUGUS NY-
740 PM EDT THU MAY 3 2012

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN CATTARAUGUS
COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

LAT...LON 4200 7827 4215 7828 4233 7793 4233 7773
      4200 7774 4199 7775
TIME...MOT...LOC 2337Z 239DEG 21KT 4211 7813

$$

NYC003-040015-
/O.CON.KBUF.SV.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120504T0015Z/
ALLEGANY NY-
740 PM EDT THU MAY 3 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 815 PM EDT
FOR SOUTHERN ALLEGANY COUNTY...

AT 733 PM EDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND DAMAGING
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR RICHBURG...OR
11 MILES WEST OF WELLSVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  RICHBURG...
  SCIO...
  WELLSVILLE...
  BELMONT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH...PREPARE
IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...AND DEADLY CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

A TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED QUARTER SIZE HAIL WITH THIS STORM.

&&

LAT...LON 4200 7827 4215 7828 4233 7793 4233 7773
      4200 7774 4199 7775
TIME...MOT...LOC 2337Z 239DEG 21KT 4211 7813

$$

THOMAS
508 
WWUS51 KBUF 040003
SVSBUF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
803 PM EDT THU MAY 3 2012

NYC003-040015-
/O.CON.KBUF.SV.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120504T0015Z/
ALLEGANY NY-
803 PM EDT THU MAY 3 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 815 PM EDT
FOR EAST CENTRAL ALLEGANY COUNTY...

AT 758 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE
HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS
LOCATED NEAR SCIO...OR NEAR WELLSVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  SCIO...
  ANDOVER...
  ALFRED...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO 
GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS 
IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS. 
REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE 
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

&&

LAT...LON 4208 7802 4223 7804 4233 7773 4206 7774
TIME...MOT...LOC 0002Z 246DEG 29KT 4219 7791

$$

HITCHCOCK
428 
WWUS51 KBUF 040014
SVSBUF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
814 PM EDT THU MAY 3 2012

NYC003-040023-
/O.EXP.KBUF.SV.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120504T0015Z/
ALLEGANY NY-
814 PM EDT THU MAY 3 2012

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL ALLEGANY COUNTY
WILL EXPIRE AT 815 PM EDT...

AT 813 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THAT THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD WEAKENED AND WAS NO LONGER
SEVERE...THUS THE WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 4208 7802 4223 7804 4233 7773 4206 7774
TIME...MOT...LOC 0013Z 246DEG 29KT 4222 7780

$$

THOMAS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 2, 8:23 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBUFCattaraugus22 min
May 3, 1:25 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBUFChautauqua50 min
May 3, 5:20 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBUFAllegany40 min
May 3, 5:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFAllegany51 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New York, 2012Every severe thunderstorm 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.