New York, 1998

Flooding in New York, January 8 to 11, 1998

January 8 to 11, 1998 · NWS ALY · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

From January 8 to January 11, the Mohawk River flooded from the eastern Mohawk Valley to where the river flows into the Hudson River. 4 feet above flood stage at Cohoes in Albany County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$150,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

From January 8 to January 11, the Mohawk River flooded from the eastern Mohawk Valley to where the river flows into the Hudson River. The river crested 1.5 feet above flood stage at Little Falls in southern Herkimer County, 1.6 feet above flood stage at Schenectady and .4 feet above flood stage at Cohoes in Albany County. Moderate flooding occurred in southern Herkimer and Montgomery Counties. There, roads and houses along the Mohawk River where affected by the flood waters and the water was high enough to reach parts of State Highway 5S. In Schenectady, the Schenectady County Community Collage parking lot was flooded with several feet of water. The Stockade region of Schenectady was flooded and forced the closure of Ingersoll Avenue, North Street, Front Street and North Ferry Street. No evacuations were required but many homes had to be pumped out.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Montgomery

When
January 8, 6:00 AM EST to January 11, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Property damage
$80,000
Coordinates
42.902, -74.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Herkimer

When
January 8, 6:00 AM EST to January 11, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Herkimer forecast zone
Property damage
$45,000
Coordinates
43.420, -74.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Saratoga

When
January 8, 6:00 AM EST to January 11, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Saratoga forecast zone
Coordinates
43.107, -73.864 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Western Schenectady

When
January 8, 6:00 AM EST to January 11, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Western Schenectady forecast zone
Coordinates
42.818, -74.059 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Eastern Albany

When
January 8, 6:00 AM EST to January 11, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Eastern Albany forecast zone
Coordinates
42.600, -73.974 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Eastern Schenectady

When
January 8, 6:00 AM EST to January 11, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Eastern Schenectady forecast zone
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
42.818, -74.059 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, January 1998

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5629681, 5629682, 5629683, 5629684, 5631046, 5631047.