Thunderstorm Wind, Wayne
- When
- June 26, 1:15 AM EST
- Where
- Wayne County, Sodus
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 43.230, -77.070
Flash Flooding and Hail in New York, June 26, 1998
Severe thunderstorms crossed the area during the early morning hours. The thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds which downed trees and power lines.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $8.2 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 11
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 BUF wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorms crossed the area during the early morning hours. The thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds which downed trees and power lines. The damage from thunderstorm winds paled in comparison to the damage resulting from the flash floods the thunderstorms produced. Five to six inches of rain fell in a two hundred square mile area sending small streams out of their banks causing several million dollars worth of property damage in the Villages of Arcade and Gowanda. Cattaraugus Creek rose faster than any time in memory and crested two feet over flood stage. This surge caused many boats to break loose from their moorings at the mouth of the creek at Sunset Bay and over a hundred boats were shoved out into Lake Erie and wrecked. Erie, Wyoming and Cattaraugus counties were declared state and federal disaster areas. In Arcade, 37 were rescued from treetops and rooftops by the Water Rescue Team. Over 130 homes were damaged in Arcade.
The radar
The Ft Drum radar (KTYX), 126 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:14 UTC.
Event by event
5 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Lewis
- When
- June 26, 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Lewis County, Castorland
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 43.880, -75.520
Thunderstorm Wind, Niagara
- When
- June 26, 2:15 AM EST
- Where
- Niagara County, North Tonawanda
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 43.030, -78.880
Thunderstorm Wind, Erie
- When
- June 26, 2:45 AM EST
- Where
- Erie County, Alden
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.900, -78.480
Flash Flood, Genesee
- When
- June 26, 3:35 AM EST to 8:35 AM EST
- Where
- Genesee County, Batavia
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 43.001, -78.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Erie
- When
- June 26, 4:30 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
- Where
- Erie County, Collins
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Erie
- When
- June 26, 5:55 AM EST
- Where
- Erie County, Collins
- Property damage
- $35,000
- Reported by
- BROADCAST MEDIA
- Coordinates
- 42.500, -78.920
Flash Flood, Cattaraugus
- When
- June 26, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Cattaraugus County, Gowanda
- Property damage
- $2.5 million
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Wyoming
- When
- June 26, 6:45 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Wyoming County, Arcade
- Property damage
- $4.5 million
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Genesee
- When
- June 26, 7:15 AM EST to 10:15 AM EST
- Where
- Genesee County, Byron
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 43.001, -78.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Hail, Genesee
- When
- June 26, 7:15 AM EST
- Where
- Genesee County, Batavia
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 43.000, -78.180
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Minnesota, June 26 to 27, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Ohio, June 26 to 30, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, June 26, 1998
- Heat in Illinois, June 26 to 28, 1998
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in New York, June 26, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Ohio, June 26 to 30, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Ohio, June 26 to 30, 1998
- Heat in Oklahoma, June 26, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Ohio, June 26 to 30, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Hail in West Virginia, June 26 to 27, 1998
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in New York, June 26, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Delaware, June 26, 1998
More
Every storm in New York in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, June 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5657037, 5657038, 5657103, 5657104, 5657105, 5657106, 5657107, 5657108, 5657109, 5657110, 5657111.