New York, 2001

Flash Flooding in New York, September 25, 2001

September 25, 2001 · NWS BUF · 3 events in 1 county or zone

Thunderstorms with heavy downpours during the evening hours of the 24th and the early morning hours of the 25th dropped over six inches of rain over parts of Lewis County. The heavy rains produced flash flooding in Lyons Falls, Martinsburg, and Lowville during the morning of the 25th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$33,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

Thunderstorms with heavy downpours during the evening hours of the 24th and the early morning hours of the 25th dropped over six inches of rain over parts of Lewis County. The heavy rains produced flash flooding in Lyons Falls, Martinsburg, and Lowville during the morning of the 25th. Several roads were closed or washed out by the flood waters.

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 Buffalo, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 25, 4:24 AM EST, 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 25, 4:24 AM EST, 6 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
524 AM EDT TUE SEP 25 2001

VIGOROUS LOW PRESSURE OVER CENTRAL NEW YORK IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTH
AND THEN CIRCULATE WITH THE HELP OF A STRONG UPPER AIR DISTURBANCE
BACK WEST INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION AND WESTERN NEW YORK. IT WILL
CIRCULATE QUITE COOL AIR INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT SETTING OFF LAKE EFFECT
SHOWERS AND MAYBE A THUNDERSTORM. THE WINDS WILL ALSO BE QUITE BRISK
MAKING THE AIR FEEL CHILLY FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. A THUNDERSTORM MAY
ALSO CONTAIN A LITTLE SMALL HAIL DUE TO THE COOL AIR ALOFT.

.BUF...NONE.

EGR

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Lewis

When
September 25, 4:30 AM EST to 6:00 AM EST
Where
Lewis County, Lyons Falls
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Lewis

When
September 25, 7:15 AM EST to 7:22 AM EST
Where
Lewis County, Martinsburg
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Lewis

When
September 25, 7:22 AM EST to 8:25 AM EST
Where
Lewis County, Lowville
Property damage
$13,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New York in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, September 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: 5267665, 5267666, 5268380.