Alert archive / New York / Flash Flood Watches in 2019

Flash Flood Watch 2, NWS Buffalo, NY

January 29, 2019Erie County, Niagara County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this flash flood watch at Jan 29, 2019, 6:39 AM EST for Erie County, Niagara County, New York. It took effect at Jan 29, 2019, 7:00 AM EST. It was in force for 7 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jan 29, 2019, 6:39 AM EST (11:39 UTC)
In effect from
Jan 29, 2019, 7:00 AM EST
Expired
Jan 29, 2019, 1:52 PM EST
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Flood severity
None

Counties Erie County, NY, Niagara County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 2 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:36 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 00:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 5 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 2019-01-29Temperature 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 00:00Z on 2019-01-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 782 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1458 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
73 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
782 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
834 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

864 
WGUS61 KBUF 291139
FFABUF

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Flood Watch
National Weather Service Buffalo NY
639 AM EST Tue Jan 29 2019

NYZ001-010-292000-
/O.NEW.KBUF.FF.A.0002.190129T1200Z-190131T0000Z/
/00000.0.IJ.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Niagara-Northern Erie-
Including the cities of Niagara Falls and Buffalo
639 AM EST Tue Jan 29 2019

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING...

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a

* Flash Flood Watch for a portion of western New York... 
  including the following counties...Niagara and Northern Erie. 

* Through Wednesday evening.

* An ice jam remains in place on the Upper Niagara River between
  the NY Power Authority intake and Cayuga Island. The Niagara
  River Control Center reports that the water level on the river
  remains high. The water level is just below the level where 
  inundation and damage begins. If the ice jam worsens flooding 
  may be possible. 

* Areas susceptible to flooding from rising water on the Upper 
  Niagara River include the Grand Island shoreline, Cayuga 
  Island in Niagara Falls, and the river shoreline between North 
  Tonawanda and Niagara Falls. 


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Flash Flood Watch means the threat of flash flooding exists
along rivers and creeks. If you are in the watch area you should
monitor weather conditions closely. Be ready to move to higher
ground if flooding is observed or a warning is issued. Stay tuned
to weather radio or other radio and tv stations for further
updates.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
565 
WGUS61 KBUF 291852
FFABUF

Flood Watch
National Weather Service Buffalo NY
152 PM EST Tue Jan 29 2019

NYZ001-010-292000-
/O.CAN.KBUF.FF.A.0002.000000T0000Z-190131T0000Z/
/00000.0.IJ.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Niagara-Northern Erie-
Including the cities of Niagara Falls and Buffalo
152 PM EST Tue Jan 29 2019

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS CANCELLED...

The Flash Flood Watch for a portion of western New York has been
cancelled. The Niagara River Control Center reports that the 
water level behind an ice jam on the Niagara River has dropped 
below watch threshold. The river level will continue to be 
monitored, but at this time the risk for flooding has diminished.

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 29, 3:43 AM ESTGale WarningBUF62 hr
Jan 29, 6:31 AM ESTWinter Weather AdvisoryBUFCattaraugus, Chautauqua, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans47 hr
Jan 29, 7:31 AM ESTAreal Flood WarningBUFErie, Niagara4 hr
Jan 29, 9:06 AM ESTSpecial Weather StatementBUFErie114 min
Jan 29, 10:07 AM ESTLakeshore Flood AdvisoryBUFChautauqua, Erie32 hr
Jan 29, 10:32 AM ESTHeavy Freezing Spray WarningBUF55 hr
Jan 29, 10:55 AM ESTSpecial Weather StatementBUFNiagara2 hr
Jan 29, 1:00 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementBUFNiagara2 hr
Jan 29, 1:42 PM ESTWind Chill WarningBUFAllegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee and 10 more47 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Watches in New York, 2019Every flash flood watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.