Flooding in New York, January 19 to 21, 1996

An intense area of low pressure which was located over the Mid-Atlantic region on Friday morning January 19th produced unseasonably warm temperatures, high dewpoints and strong winds. This resulted in rapid melting of one to three feet of snow. In addition to the rapid snowmelt one to three inches of rain fell as the system moved northeast along the coast. This resulted in widespread flooding across Greene County. Federal Disaster Assistance was made available by presidential declaration. Small streams flooded across the entire county which resulted in many roads being washed out. Extensive flooding also occurred along the Hudson River and Schoharie Creek. In Athens, Coxsackie and New Baltimore flooding resulted in damage to their sewer treatment plants. In Prattsville severe damage was done to their water system. Flooding along the Hudson River damaged several marinas and parks including Riverside Park in Coxsackie, Athens Riverfront Park and the marina section of New Baltimore. Some of the most severe flooding occurred in Palenville, Athens, Windham and Lexington. Residents in Palenville were evacuated due to the flooding of Kaaterskill Creek. Several people in Athens, Coxsackie and New Baltimore were evacuated by boat due to the flooding Hudson River. In the mountainous terrain of Greene County road washouts were more numerous. In the Town of Durham 80% of the roads suffered damage with 6 roads totally ripped apart. State routes which were severly damaged included routes 42, 214, 296, 32 and 81.