New York, 1996

Flooding in New York, January 19 to 20, 1996

January 19 to 20, 1996 · NWS ALY · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

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.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
$6.0 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS ALY wrote it up.

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 Schenectady County including the flooding of the Mohawk River and Schoharie Creek. Federal Disaster Assistance was made available by presidential declaration. Small streams flooded across the entire county which resulted in many road washouts. Flooding was extensive along the Mohawk River especially in the Stockade region of Schenectady. Over fifty people were evacuated from this area. In Schenectady heavy rains caused a mudslide in which mud and debris broke loose from a hillside and crushed a man who was fueling a vehicle at a gas station. Gallopville Road in Duanesburg was heavily damaged and Rosendale Road in Niskayuna was damaged by ice moving down the flooded Mohawk River.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Western Schenectady

When
January 19, 2:00 PM EST to January 20, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Western Schenectady forecast zone
Property damage
$3.0 million
Coordinates
42.818, -74.059 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Eastern Schenectady

When
January 19, 2:00 PM EST to January 20, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Schenectady forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$3.0 million
Coordinates
42.818, -74.059 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Flood, Eastern Schenectady1996-01-1942MaleOutside/Open AreasDirect

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New York in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, January 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5553419, 5553420.