Seiche, Erie
- When
- December 12, 5:40 AM EST to 7:15 AM EST
- Where
- Erie County, Buffalo
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Seiche in New York, December 12, 2000
Deep low pressure centered over the Finger Lakes was accompanied by strong winds. The high winds caused water levels at the eastern end of Lake Erie to rise over five feet in a few hours.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- $50,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
Deep low pressure centered over the Finger Lakes was accompanied by strong winds. The high winds caused water levels at the eastern end of Lake Erie to rise over five feet in a few hours. The high water levels coupled with waves of 10 to 14 feet caused shoreline erosion and localized flooding. Evacuations took place at Hoover Beach. The lake remained above flood stage for a couple of hours.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 seiche. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Seiche
- A standing wave in a lake or bay, pushed by wind or pressure, that flooded the shore.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Ice Storm in Louisiana, December 12 to 13, 2000
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, December 12, 2000
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, December 12, 2000
- Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 12 to 13, 2000
- High Wind in New York, December 12, 2000
- Ice Storm in Texas, December 12 to 13, 2000
- High Wind in New Jersey, December 12, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 12 to 13, 2000
- Cold in South Carolina, December 12 to 13, 2000
- High Wind in New York, December 12, 2000
- High Wind in New York, December 12, 2000
- High Wind in New York, December 12, 2000
More
Every storm in New York in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, December 2000
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: 5169033.