New York, 2002

Flooding in New York, May 13 to 14, 2002

May 13 to 14, 2002 · NWS BTV · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An area of low pressure moved from the eastern Great Lakes region and mid-atlantic states during Monday (May 13th), east and northeast across southern New England by early Tuesday (May 14th). Flooding was indicated along the AuSable River.

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
$4,000
Crop damage
None recorded
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 BTV wrote it up.

An area of low pressure moved from the eastern Great Lakes region and mid-atlantic states during Monday (May 13th), east and northeast across southern New England by early Tuesday (May 14th). Flooding was indicated along the AuSable River. The river gage at AuSable Forks reached and exceeded flood stage. In addition, water was reported across portions of Rte 73. This flooding was due to steady rainfall of between 1 and 2 inches. The rain mixed with some wet snow in the higher terrain.

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 Burlington, VT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 13, 8:54 PM EST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 8:54 PM EST, 1 hour 56 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
954 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS ENHANCED AREA OF CLOUDS HAS MOVED EAST OF
THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT.  AND WITH THAT THE AREAL COVERAGE AND
INTENSITY OF THE PRECIPITATION HAS DECREASED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF
HOURS.  SECONDARY AREA OF STEADIER PRECIPITATION IS BACK ACROSS
WESTERN NEW YORK AT THE MOMENT IN ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER LEVEL
SHORTWAVE.  THIS SHOULD HELP TO ENHANCE ANOTHER ROUND OF
PRECIPITATION OVER THE FORECAST AREA LATER TONIGHT...BUT NOT AS
INTENSE AS EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING.  WILL THEREFORE TWEAK THE
FORECAST TO MENTION PERIODS OF RAIN ALONG WITH VARIOUS SNOW LEVELS.
SPOTTER REPORTS CONTINUE TO INDICATE SNOW LEVELS AROUND 1300 FEET IN
NORTH CENTRAL/NORTHEAST VERMONT AND ABOUT 2000 FEET ELSEWHERE.
THESE LEVELS SHOULD SLOWLY LOWER WITH TIME AS WELL.  SOME MINOR
ACCUMULATIONS HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED AND WOULD EXPECT SOME ADDITIONAL
LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS.  WILL MAINTAIN THE 1-3 INCH RANGE CURRENTLY IN
THE FORECAST.  CHECK OF RIVER LEVELS SHOWS SOME MAINSTEM RIVERS
RISING RAPIDLY IN RESPONSE TO NEARLY TWO INCHES OF RAIN IN ABOUT A
12 HOUR TIME PERIOD ACROSS SOME AREAS.  AFTER COORDINATION WITH THE
NORTHEAST RIVER FORECAST CENTER...ISSUED A RIVER FLOOD WARNING FOR
THE EAST BRANCH OF THE AUSABLE RIVER AT AUSABLE FORKS AS IT WOULD
APPEAR THE RIVER WILL GO ABOVE FLOOD STAGE AFTER 1000 PM TONIGHT.
OTHER RIVERS RISING BUT NONE APPEAR TO HAVE A FLOOD CONCERN AT THIS
TIME.  NO OTHER CHANGES TO THE FORECAST ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.

UPDATED ZONES ALREADY SENT.

EVENSON

.BTV...RIVER FLOOD WARNING FOR THE EAST BRANCH OF THE AUSABLE RIVER
IN NEW YORK.

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, Eastern Essex

When
May 13, 10:50 PM EST to May 14, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Eastern Essex forecast zone
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
44.117, -73.773 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Western Essex

When
May 13, 10:50 PM EST to May 14, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Western Essex forecast zone
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
44.117, -73.773 (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

More

Every storm in New York in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, May 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: 5299890, 5299891.