Flooding in New York, August 14, 2001

Name: Flooding in New York, August 14, 2001
Start: 2001-08-14T18:45
End: 2001-08-14T20:40
Location: New York

August 14, 2001 · NWS OKX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

On Tuesday, August 14th, a strong upper atmospheric disturbance approached southeast New York from the northwest. As it approached, locally strong thunderstorms developed and moved southeast.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 OKX wrote it up.

On Tuesday, August 14th, a strong upper atmospheric disturbance approached southeast New York from the northwest. As it approached, locally strong thunderstorms developed and moved southeast. These thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall, and led to localized flooding of roadways and highways in the New York City area, and Nassau County on Long Island. In Queens County, flooding was reported in central and eastern portions of the County, particularly along the Cross Island Parkway near Bell Boulevard. In Kings County, flooding was reported along portions of the Belt Parkway. A cooperative observer from Gravesend recorded 1.75 inches of rainfall in 25 minutes, indicative of the torrential nature of the rainfall. Isolated flooding was also reported in sections of Manhattan.In Nassau County, manhole covers were lifted in Manhasset due to excessive runoff from the rainfall. In Westchester County, several homes reported flooding in the vicinity of Yonkers.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS New York, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 14, 1:40 PM EST, 5 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 14, 1:40 PM EST, 5 hours 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
240 PM EDT TUE AUG 14 2001

MODELS HANDLG DYNAMICS OF OFSHR SYS AND GRTLKS SYS DIFFERENTLY.
FORTUNATELY FA IS SANDWICHED BTWN...SO DIFFERENCES FAIRLY
TRANSPARENT FOR THE LCL AREA.

BASICALLY LOOKG FOR SFC RDGG TO BLD ACRS RGN NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
ONSHR WND FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPS NEAR SEASONAL LVLS. GUID TEMPS ALL IN
THE BALLPARK ALTHO FANS APPEAR A TAD TO COOL DURG THE OVRNGT PDS.

PCPN...RADAR INDICATG SOME ISOLD CONVECTION JUST NW OF ZONES ATTM SO
SLGT CHC STILL LOOKG REASONABLE FOR RMNDR OF DAY. BLV SUNSET WILL
KILL OFF THE THREAT WITH NEXT CHC NOT WORKING INTO FA UNTIL LT THU
NGT OR FRI.

MARINE...WL HEADLINE CSTL MARINE ZONES ONLY THAT A SCA MAY BE NEEDED
WED. BEST CHC FOR THIS IS IF AVN PROVES TO BE THE MORE ACCURATE. AVN
HAS BEEN CONSISTENT WITH THIS SYS FROM RUN TO RUN AND ALTHO IT IS MY
MODEL OF CHOICE...WILL STILL TEMPER THE WINDS DOWNWARD JUST A BIT.

.OKX...
CT...NONE.
NJ...NONE.
NY...NONE.
MARINE...NONE.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, New York

When: August 14, 6:45 PM EST
Where: New York County, Central Portion
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.774, -73.970 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Kings

When: August 14, 6:50 PM EST
Where: Kings County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.634, -73.950 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Queens

When: August 14, 7:00 PM EST
Where: Queens County, Richmond Hill
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.658, -73.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Westchester

When: August 14, 7:30 PM EST
Where: Westchester County, Yonkers
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.152, -73.753 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Nassau

When: August 14, 8:40 PM EST
Where: Nassau County, Manhasset
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.732, -73.585 (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

Every storm in New York in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, August 2001

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: 5265162, 5265163, 5265161, 5265165, 5265164.