New York, 2002

Flash Flooding and Hail in New York, June 17, 2002

June 17, 2002 · NWS BUF · 6 events in 2 counties and zones

A line of thunderstorms developed over southwest Niagara and northern Erie counties with successive training on either side of Tonawanda Creek. Two inches of rain fell in less than an hour and a nursing home was evacuated as a precaution as clogged drains held the heavy rains on the building rooftop.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$85,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

A line of thunderstorms developed over southwest Niagara and northern Erie counties with successive training on either side of Tonawanda Creek. Two inches of rain fell in less than an hour and a nursing home was evacuated as a precaution as clogged drains held the heavy rains on the building rooftop. Dozens of roads were under water. Pea- to nickel-sized hail covered the ground in North Tonawanda. The thunderstorms produced hail up to 1" in diameter.

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 Jun 17, 9:25 AM EST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 17, 9:25 AM EST, 3 hours 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
ISSUED BY NWS CLEVELAND OH
1025 AM EDT MON JUN 17 2002

WL UPDT FCST MAINLY TO FRESHEN WORDING. SCT SHWRS/TSTMS STILL EXPCTD
THIS AFTN WITH S/W ROTG ARND UPR LOW AND DAYTIME HEATING. FAIR AMNT
OF SUNSHINE ACRS CWA ATTM BUT EXPCT MORE CU TO DVPL PLUS AREA OF
CLDNS OVR WRN LERI...SE LWR MI WL MV INTO WRN NY THIS AFTN SO EXPECT
PTSNY OR MSTL CLDY SKIES. HI TEMPS IN LOW TO MID 60S LK OK.

.BUF...NONE.

WCR

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 15 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:32 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Niagara

When
June 17, 12:30 PM EST
Where
Niagara County, North Tonawanda
Measured
0.88 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
43.033, -78.883

Hail, Niagara

When
June 17, 1:15 PM EST
Where
Niagara County, Niagara Falls
Measured
1 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
43.083, -79.033

Hail, Niagara

When
June 17, 2:20 PM EST
Where
Niagara County, Wheatfield
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
43.083, -78.917

Flash Flood, Niagara

When
June 17, 2:30 PM EST to 4:30 PM EST
Where
Niagara County, North Tonawanda
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.173, -78.691 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Erie

When
June 17, 2:30 PM EST to 3:45 PM EST
Where
Erie County, East Amherst
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Niagara

When
June 17, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Niagara County, Niagara Falls
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.083, -79.033

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, June 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: 5306329, 5306330, 5306331, 5306327, 5306328, 5306332.