Flooding in New York, April 15 to 17, 2002

Name: Flooding in New York, April 15 to 17, 2002
Start: 2002-04-15T13:45
End: 2002-04-17T15:00
Location: New York

April 15 to 17, 2002 · NWS BUF · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Runoff from heavy rains and snowmelt caused the Black River to rise to bankful. In Lewis county, agricultural lands were flooded in Martinsburg.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: $10,000
Crop damage: $15,000
Events: 2

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.

Runoff from heavy rains and snowmelt caused the Black River to rise to bankful. In Lewis county, agricultural lands were flooded in Martinsburg. At Watertown, Jefferson county, the river reached and exceeded the 10' flood stage for 45 hours, cresting at 10.7'.

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 Apr 15, 8:58 AM EST, 4 hours 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 15, 8:58 AM EST, 4 hours 47 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
958 AM EDT MON APR 15 2002

A SERIES OF WEAK SHORT WAVES OVR SOUTHERN LWR MICHIGAN AND LK ERIE
TOUCHING OFF SOME CONVECTION ALNG NORTH SHORE OF LK ERIE ATTM WEST OF
LONG POINT AND EXTENDING NORTH TO JUST EAST OF YXU. MESOETA SHOWS
FIRST COUPLE OF VORT MAXS DROP SE IN UPPER FLOW INTO SOUTH CENTRAL PA
BY EVE WITH BEST CHC OF SHWR/TSTM SOUTH OF BUF TO NY/PA BORDER THIS
AFTN.

PROFILE DATA INDICATES ATMOS UNSTABLE ESPCLY FRM THE GENESEE VALLEY
WEST THIS AFTN WITH CAPES IN THE 1300-1500 RANGE WITH LIS OF -2 TO
-3.

OTHER AREAS TO WATCH FOR AFTN CONVECTION ARE AREAS OF LK BREEZE
BNDRYS. MM5 INDICATES AREA OF LOW LVL MOISTURE CNV DEVELOPING THIS
AFTN ALNG SOUTH SHORE OF LK ONT BETWEEN IAG AND ROC WHERE PREVAILING
SW WND AT 15 CONVERGES WITH WEAK W-WNW FLOW ALNG LK ONT SHORE AS ERLY
AS 17-18Z WITH ANOTHER AREA OF CNV DEVELOPING FRM LK ONTARIO LTR THIS
AFTN IN CENTRAL FINGER LKS REGION. SW FLOW OFF COLD LK ERIE SHLD
PROTECT BUF METRO AREA FRM STRONGER CONVECTION.

IN ANY EVENT LOOKS GOOD TO KEEP CHC/SCT TSTMS IN THE FCST FOR THIS
AFTN.

VSBL SATELLITE SHOWS PLENTY OF BRKS IN CLDS OVR FINGER LKS WHICH SHLD
FILL IN AS CLDS BETWEEN BUF-DTW ADVANCE EASTWARD BUT WILL STILL CALL
IT PTLY SUNNY. ADJUSTED TEMPS UP A BIT IN FINGER LKS WHICH SHLD GET
GOOD AMNT OF SUN NEXT COUPLE OF HRS. ALSO BUMPED WNDS UP OVR IAG
FRONTIER WITH SOUNDING SHOWING SW WNDS IN 25-30 RANGE JUST ABV THE
SURFACE. NO CHANGES TO LTR PERIODS OF THE FCST.

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE BLACK RIVER CONTINUES. WILL UPDATE FLOOD STMNT
BETWEEN 11 AM AND NOON.

.BUF...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE BLACK RIVER THROUGH TUESDAY NYZ007-008.

PACE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Lewis

When: April 15, 1:45 PM EST to April 16, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Lewis forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $15,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Jefferson

When: April 15, 6:45 PM EST to April 17, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.999, -76.052 (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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, April 2002

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: 5288976, 5288975.