Alert archive / New York / Flash Flood Warnings in 2015

Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Buffalo, NY

May 18, 2015Ontario County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this flash flood warning at May 18, 2015, 9:03 PM EDT for Ontario County, New York. It was in force for 3 hr. 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 18, 2015, 9:03 PM EDT (01:03 UTC)
Expired
May 19, 2015, 12:00 AM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Ontario County, NY

The radar

The Binghamton radar (KBGM), 120 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:02 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 18, 9:37 PM EDTFLASH FLOOD1 E Pre-Emption, NYCOUNTY RD AND RT6.
May 18, 9:37 PM EDTFLASH FLOOD1 N Geneva, NYRT14 IN GENEVA.

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 00:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 125 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 00:00Z on 2015-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 113 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 00:00Z on 2015-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 55 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
113 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-83 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1013 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
55 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
20 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

799 
WGUS51 KBUF 190103
FFWBUF
NYC069-190400-
/O.NEW.KBUF.FF.W.0005.150519T0103Z-150519T0400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
903 PM EDT MON MAY 18 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  THE SOUTHERN HALF OF ONTARIO COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK...

* UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT
    
* AT 901 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING 
  HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. DUAL POL DOPPLER RADAR 
  INDICATES THAT NEARLY AN INCH OF RAIN HAD FALLEN OVER THE WARNED 
  AREA BY 9 PM...AND AN ADIDTIONAL ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN IS 
  EXPECTED. FLASH FLOODING IS LIKELY WITHIN THE HOUR.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  GENEVA...CANANDAIGUA...BRISTOL...BLOOMFIELD...RUSHVILLE...GORHAM...
  EAST BLOOMFIELD AND BRISTOL MOUNTAIN.

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING STREAMS AND DRAINAGES...CANANDAIGUA
OUTLET...TROUT BROOK...PADELFORD BROOK...MUD CREEK...HONEOYE CREEK...
WILSON CREEK...BEBEE CREEK...DEEP RUN...ROCKY RUN...FLINT CREEK...
MILL CREEK...BURRELL CREEK...SUCKER BROOK...FRESHOUR CREEK AND BEAVER
CREEK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING.

&&

LAT...LON 4291 7748 4291 7697 4287 7696 4287 7698
      4286 7698 4284 7697 4276 7697 4276 7731
      4273 7734 4273 7747

$$

RSH
2 follow-up statements
415 
WGUS71 KBUF 190231
FFSBUF

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1031 PM EDT MON MAY 18 2015

NYC069-190400-
/O.CON.KBUF.FF.W.0005.000000T0000Z-150519T0400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
ONTARIO NY-
1031 PM EDT MON MAY 18 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT FOR
CENTRAL ONTARIO COUNTY...

AT 1027 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE HEAVY DOWNPOURS 
AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PUSHED AWAY TO THE EAST. WHILE THE HEAVIEST 
RAIN HAS MOVED OUT OF THE AREA...THERE WILL STILL BE HIGH AND FAST 
RUNNING TRIBUTARIES.

RADAR ESTIMATED THAT ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN FELL OVER THE 
MAJORITY OF THE WARNED AREA...WITH AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF THREE INCHES 
FAIRLY COMMON OVER THE BURRELL...WILSON AND FLINT CREEK BASINS. THE 
GOOD NEWS IS THAT LITTLE IF ANY ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IS EXPECTED 
OVERNIGHT. 
 

SOME LOCATIONS THAT COULD STILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE... 
GENEVA...CANANDAIGUA...BRISTOL...BLOOMFIELD...RUSHVILLE...GORHAM... 
EAST BLOOMFIELD AND BRISTOL MOUNTAIN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING.

&&

LAT...LON 4291 7748 4291 7697 4287 7696 4287 7698
      4286 7698 4284 7697 4276 7697 4276 7731
      4273 7734 4273 7747

$$

RSH
476 
WGUS71 KBUF 190338
FFSBUF

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1138 PM EDT MON MAY 18 2015

NYC069-190347-
/O.CAN.KBUF.FF.W.0005.000000T0000Z-150519T0400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
ONTARIO NY-
1138 PM EDT MON MAY 18 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR CENTRAL ONTARIO COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

FLOOD WATERS ARE RECEDING...AND ARE NO LONGER EXPECTED TO POSE A 
THREAT TO LIFE OR PROPERTY. PLEASE CONTINUE TO HEED ANY ROAD 
CLOSURES.

LAT...LON 4291 7748 4291 7697 4287 7696 4287 7698
      4286 7698 4284 7697 4276 7697 4276 7731
      4273 7734 4273 7747

$$

RSH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 8:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFAllegany22 min
May 18, 8:27 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBUFLivingston33 min
May 18, 8:40 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningBUFAllegany, Livingston, Ontario3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in New York, 2015Every flash flood warning in 2015

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.