Flooding in New York, May 13 to 15, 2002

Name: Flooding in New York, May 13 to 15, 2002
Start: 2002-05-13T19:00
End: 2002-05-15T23:59
Location: New York

May 13 to 15, 2002 · NWS ALY · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An area of low pressure developed in the Ohio valley on May 12. This storm, loaded with moisture, very slowly moved into the Saint Lawrence Valley by May 14.

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: $25,000
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 ALY wrote it up.

An area of low pressure developed in the Ohio valley on May 12. This storm, loaded with moisture, very slowly moved into the Saint Lawrence Valley by May 14. A swath of rainfall between 2 and 3 inches fell in about a 36 hour period. This rain caused the Mohawk River to rise about a foot and a half above the 403-foot flood stage at Utica and the 552-foot flood stage at Delta. No problems were reported with this minor flooding. Heavy rains caused an earthern berm, part of the 1830s Champlain Canal, to give way under the weight of the water. The end result was that Route 4, along the Stillwater Flats in Saratoga County, became flooded and had to be closed for a couple of days. There was some minor damage reported along the roadway.

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 Albany, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 13, 2:15 PM EST, 4 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 2:15 PM EST, 4 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
315 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

.DISC...
COASTAL LO PRESNTLY CNTRD OVR NY/PA BORDER ATTM.

OVR THE LAST 6 HRS...OBSVD SLP IN CLOSE AGREEMT WITH META AND
THUS FEEL META SHD HAVE A REASONBL HANDL ON MOVEMT OF STORM FOR
THE NEXT 6 TO 12 HRS.  IT TAKES THE SFC LO AND DEEPENS IT TO
993 CNTRD OVR LNG ISLND BY 06Z...THEN DEEPENS IT TO 990 WHILE
LIFTG IT TO THE GULF OF ME BY 12Z.  THAT IS IN AGREEMENT WITH
NCEP 24 HR PROJCTN.  LOOKS LIKE HEAVIEST PRECIP SHD BE BETWEEN
NOW AND 00Z.  PRECIP WILL CONTINUE OVRNITE BUT WILL BE LIGHTER
AND...OVR NRN REGNS...MIX WITH SNW.

BACKLASH ARND N SIDE OF LO WILL KEEP CLDS AND MOISTUR OVR THE
REGN ESPCLLY N OF MOHWK VLLY.  LO MOVES SLOWLY NEWRD INTO THE
CADN MARITIMES ON THE W SIDE OF THE H3 JET.  ANOTHR SYSTM
MOVS ACROSS SRN CANADA WED NITE INTO THURS...STALLING A FNT
ACROSS THE REGN ON THURS.  ANOTHR SYSTM MOVS ALNG THE FNTL
BDRY FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NITE BRINGING THE POSSIBLITY OF MORE
SHWRS FRIDAY EVE.  BACKLASH ARND N SIDE OF LOW AGAIN PUTS
CLDS AND MOISTURE INTO REGN SAT NITE INTO SUNDAY...WITH A BIT
OF DRIER AIR OVR REGN MONDAY.

HYDROLOGIC STATUS...SOME STRMS WERE OBSVD NR BNKFULL IN
MONTGOMERY CO AS RESULT OF COMBINED PRECIP YDA AND TDA.
GRND IS FAIRLY WET ESPCLY NORTH OF MOHWK VALLEY WHILE
OVR THE CATSKILLS SOME RUNOFF IS BADLY NEEDED.  WILL LEAVE
FLD WATCH UP AT LEAST THRU EVENG AND WILL ISSUE A FLD
STATMT FOR MOHAWK RVR/MOHAWK VLLY.

WRKZNS AVAIL

.ALY...FFA ALL ZNS LT TDA/TNGT.

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, Southern Saratoga

When: May 13, 7:00 PM EST to May 15, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Southern Saratoga forecast zone
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 43.107, -73.864 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Herkimer

When: May 14, 7:00 AM EST to May 15, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern Herkimer forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.420, -74.962 (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, 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: 5299117, 5299116.