Alert archive / New York / Flash Flood Warnings in 2025

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Buffalo, NY

April 21, 2025Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, New York

NWS Buffalo, NY issued this flash flood warning at Apr 21, 2025, 6:19 PM EDT for Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, New York. It was in force for 3 hr. 4 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
Apr 21, 2025, 6:19 PM EDT (22:19 UTC)
Expired
Apr 21, 2025, 9:20 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Buffalo, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Cattaraugus County, NY, Chautauqua County, NY

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:21 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
Apr 21, 6:30 PM EDTFLOOD1 Sw Bemus Point, NYDelayed report. Road 394 in Stow closed due to flooding and debris.
Apr 21, 6:33 PM EDTFLOOD1 Ssw Gerry, NYDelayed report. Significant flooding on Road 380 near the Gerry and Ellicott town line.
Apr 21, 7:00 PM EDTFLOOD3 S Gerry, NYDelayed report. Route 60 near the Jamestown airport closed due to flooding and debris.
Apr 21, 7:05 PM EDTFLASH FLOODEllington, NYMultiple roads closed in the Town of Ellington.

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, 10.3 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 12:00Z on 2025-04-21Temperature 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 2025-04-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 366 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1489 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
366 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
423 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

480 
WGUS51 KBUF 212219
FFWBUF
NYC009-013-220230-
/O.NEW.KBUF.FF.W.0001.250421T2219Z-250422T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Buffalo NY
Issued by National Weather Service Cleveland OH
619 PM EDT Mon Apr 21 2025

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  West Central Cattaraugus County in western New York...
  Southeastern Chautauqua County in western New York...

* Until 1030 PM EDT.

* At 619 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing 
  heavy rain across the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or 
  expected to begin shortly.

  HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

  SOURCE...Radar.

  IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban
           areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as
           other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
  Jamestown, Lakewood, Falconer, Jamestown West, Long Point State 
  Park, Busti, Gerry, Conewango, Ellington, Leon, Randolph, Napoli, 
  Celoron, South Dayton, East Randolph, Sinclairville, Panama, 
  Cherry Creek, Bemus Point and Kennedy.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

Flooding is occurring or is imminent. It is important to know where 
you are relative to streams, rivers, or creeks which can become 
killers in heavy rains. Campers and hikers should avoid streams or 
creeks.

&&

LAT...LON 4238 7900 4221 7882 4212 7906 4200 7938
      4202 7962 4212 7959 4235 7906

FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED

$$

Apffel
1 follow-up statement
757 
WGUS71 KBUF 220120
FFSBUF

Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Buffalo NY
Issued by National Weather Service Cleveland OH
920 PM EDT Mon Apr 21 2025

NYC009-013-220130-
/O.CAN.KBUF.FF.W.0001.000000T0000Z-250422T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Cattaraugus NY-Chautauqua NY-
920 PM EDT Mon Apr 21 2025

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR WEST CENTRAL CATTARAUGUS AND 
SOUTHEASTERN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTIES...

The heavy rain has ended. Flooding is ongoing in central Chautauqua 
county. Please continue to heed remaining road closures.

&&

LAT...LON 4238 7900 4221 7882 4212 7906 4200 7938
      4202 7962 4212 7959 4235 7906

$$

HSK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 21, 1:05 AM EDTWind AdvisoryBUFChautauqua12 hr
Apr 21, 1:34 PM EDTSmall Craft AdvisoryBUF33 hr
Apr 21, 4:34 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF86 min
Apr 21, 5:08 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBUFOrleans37 min
Apr 21, 5:19 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF56 min
Apr 21, 5:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFAllegany, Cattaraugus, Erie, Wyoming34 min
Apr 21, 5:33 PM EDTTornado WarningBUFAllegany, Cattaraugus, Erie, Wyoming27 min
Apr 21, 5:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFCattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and 1 more67 min
Apr 21, 6:03 PM EDTAreal Flood WarningBUFErie, Niagara95 min
Apr 21, 6:11 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBUF64 min
Apr 21, 6:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBUFAllegany, Cattaraugus, Erie, Wyoming58 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in New York, 2025Every flash flood warning in 2025

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.