Alert archive / New York / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2023

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 31, NWS Buffalo, NY

July 20, 2023Chautauqua County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 20, 2023, 6:34 PM EDT for Chautauqua County, New York. It was in force for 56 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 20, 2023, 6:34 PM EDT (22:34 UTC)
Expired: Jul 20, 2023, 7:30 PM EDT
In force: 56 min
Issued by: NWS Buffalo, NY
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 0.75 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

County Chautauqua County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:35 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 20, 6:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 91 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1391 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 90 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Buffalo, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 20, 2:39 PM EDT, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 20, 2:39 PM EDT, 3 hours 55 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 20, 3:58 PM EDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 20, 2:15 PM EDT, 4 hours 19 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Buffalo NY
215 PM EDT Thu Jul 20 2023

NYZ019-201900-
Chautauqua NY-
215 PM EDT Thu Jul 20 2023

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHWESTERN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY
THROUGH 300 PM EDT...

At 213 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
North East, or 20 miles northeast of Erie, moving northeast along
the Lake Erie shoreline at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and half inch hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Westfield, Lake Erie State Park, Portland, Ripley, Brocton, Ripley
Beach, and Barcelona.

This includes Interstate 90 between exits 60 and 61.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional information
and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

If on or near Lake Erie, get out of the water and move indoors or
inside a vehicle. Remember, lightning can strike out to 10 miles
from the parent thunderstorm. If you can hear thunder, you are close
enough to be struck by lightning. Move to safe shelter now! Do not
be caught on the water in a thunderstorm.

&&

LAT...LON 4232 7977 4244 7950 4250 7943 4247 7938
      4234 7937 4222 7975 4223 7976 4227 7976
      4228 7973 4231 7977
TIME...MOT...LOC 1813Z 238DEG 23KT 4228 7974

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

Thomas

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 20, 1:52 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BUF		53 min
Jul 20, 2:15 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BUF	Chautauqua	45 min
Jul 20, 2:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Chautauqua	44 min
Jul 20, 6:04 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BUF		116 min
Jul 20, 6:24 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	BUF		109 min
Jul 20, 7:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Erie, Niagara	64 min
Jul 20, 7:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BUF	Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie	61 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New York, 2023 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2023

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.