Alert archive / New York / Flash Flood Warnings in 2019

Flash Flood Warning 17, NWS Buffalo, NY

August 21, 2019Erie County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this flash flood warning at Aug 21, 2019, 3:56 AM EDT for Erie County, New York. It was in force for 3 hr. 7 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 21, 2019, 3:56 AM EDT (07:56 UTC)
Expired: Aug 21, 2019, 7:00 AM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Buffalo, NY
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Erie County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 11 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:55 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
Aug 21, 4:23 AM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	3 E Tonawanda, NY	US ROUTE 62 - NIAGARA FALLS BLVD - CLOSED FROM ALMEDA AVE. TO MAPLE RD. BECAUSE OF FLOODING.
Aug 21, 4:30 AM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	2 Nnw Tonawanda, NY	FLOODING AT INTERSECTION OF MORGAN ST. AND KOHLER ST. 2-3 INCHES OF WATER FLOWING ACROSS YARD.
Aug 21, 4:42 AM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	Tonawanda, NY	KNOCHE RD. CLOSED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS BETWEEN ELMWOOD AVE. AND DELEWARE AVE.
Aug 21, 4:50 AM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	1 Ese Tonawanda, NY	ROUTE 324 EAST CLOSED FROM COLVIN BLVD. TO BELMONT AVE. BECAUSE OF FLOODING.
Aug 21, 5:10 AM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	Tonawanda, NY	ROUTE 324 WEST CLOSED AT MILITARY RD. DUE TO FLOODING.
Aug 21, 5:30 AM EDT	HEAVY RAIN 2.51	Kenmore, NY	FELL WITHIN 60 TO 90 MINUTES.
Aug 21, 6:58 AM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	3 Nw Kenmore, NY	RT 266 CLOSED FROM SHERIDAN DRIVE TO GRAND ISLAND BLVD DUE TO FLOODING.

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, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 15 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: 331 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -21 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1731 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 106 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

062 
WGUS51 KBUF 210756
FFWBUF
NYC029-211100-
/O.NEW.KBUF.FF.W.0017.190821T0756Z-190821T1100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Buffalo NY
356 AM EDT Wed Aug 21 2019

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  North central Erie County in western New York...

* Until 700 AM EDT.

* At 355 AM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing 
  heavy rain up to 1.5 inches has occurred across the warned area. 
  Flash flooding is expected to begin shortly.

* Some locations that will experience flooding include...
  Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Kenmore, Depew, Amherst, Tonawanda,
  Williamsville, Grand Island, Small Boat Harbor and Erie Basin
  Marina.

Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 1.5 inches are possible in the 
warned area.

 This includes Interstate 90 between exits 52 and 49.
 
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.

Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the
dangers of flooding.

Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall will cause flooding of small
creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as
well as other drainage areas and low lying spots.

&&

LAT...LON 4302 7888 4302 7884 4303 7882 4305 7883
      4305 7881 4307 7879 4294 7869 4280 7891
      4284 7893 4289 7891 4293 7891 4296 7893
      4296 7896 4297 7898

$$

JLA

1 follow-up statement

576 
WGUS71 KBUF 210954
FFSBUF

Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Buffalo NY
554 AM EDT Wed Aug 21 2019

NYC029-211100-
/O.CON.KBUF.FF.W.0017.000000T0000Z-190821T1100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Erie NY-
554 AM EDT Wed Aug 21 2019

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 AM EDT FOR
NORTH CENTRAL ERIE COUNTY...

At 548 AM EDT, a trained weather spotter reported thunderstorms 
produced heavy rain of 2.51 inches in Kenmore since 3 AM. Radar 
estimates that many areas in north Buffalo, Kenmore and Tonawanda 
have seen over 2 inches of rain since 3 AM. There have been numerous 
reports of flooded and closed roads in this area this morning. 

Some locations that will experience flooding include... Buffalo, 
Cheektowaga, Kenmore, Depew, Amherst, Tonawanda, Williamsville, 
Grand Island, Small Boat Harbor and Erie Basin Marina.

 This includes Interstate 90 between exits 52 and 49.

Minimal additional rainfall is expected, but flooding impacts from 
the heavy rain will continue through daybreak before slowly 
subsiding as the morning progresses.  

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.

Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the
dangers of flooding.

Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall will continue to cause flooding 
of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and 
underpasses as well as other drainage areas and low lying spots.

&&

LAT...LON 4302 7888 4302 7884 4303 7882 4305 7883
      4305 7881 4307 7879 4294 7869 4280 7891
      4284 7893 4289 7891 4293 7891 4296 7893
      4296 7896 4297 7898

$$

JLA

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 21, 1:59 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BUF	Cattaraugus	31 min
Aug 21, 3:48 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BUF	Erie	27 min
Aug 21, 4:43 AM EDT	Small Craft Advisory	BUF		23 hr
Aug 21, 4:48 AM EDT	Lakeshore Flood Warning	BUF	Cayuga, Oswego, Wayne	23 hr
Aug 21, 5:43 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BUF	Wayne	32 min
Aug 21, 5:58 AM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BUF		62 min
Aug 21, 6:28 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Oswego	62 min
Aug 21, 6:54 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BUF	Jefferson, Lewis	66 min
Aug 21, 6:58 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego	77 min
Aug 21, 7:04 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	BUF	Erie, Niagara	3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in New York, 2019 Every flash flood warning in 2019

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.