A cold front resulted in severe thunderstorms developing across the Finger Lakes region of central New York.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS BGM wrote it up.
A cold front resulted in severe thunderstorms developing across the Finger Lakes region of central New York.
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 Binghamton, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 12, 9:48 AM EST, 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 1048 AM EDT THU SEP 12 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION BEGINNING TODAY. AS THEY PASS...EXPECT WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. FOLLOWING THEIR PASSAGE...MUCH COOLER AIR WILL SETTLE ACROSS THE AREA WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES THEN EXPECTED THROUGH MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... 1030 AM UPDATE...LOCAL RADARS SHOWERS SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS CONVECTION OVER THE LAKE PLAIN IN WESTERN NY WHICH WILL BE MOVING INTO THE NRN/WRN CWA SOON. THIS ACTIVITY IS JUST AHEAD OF THE INITIAL SFC TROF. SCATTERED CONVECTION ALSO RESIDES IN THE FAR SE IN THE VCNTY OF A LEE SIDE TROF. SATELLITE SHOWS CLOUDS QUICKLY SPREADING ACROSS THE CWA WHICH WILL LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF DESTABILIZATION FOR THIS AFTERNOON. BASED ON SATELLITE TRENDS AND MODEL SOUNDINGS CAPE VALUES AROUND 1500J/KG MAY BE REALIZED OVER THE WESTERN CATSKILLS AND NE PA WHERE THE SVR WX POTENTIAL IS GREATEST. IN GENERAL OUR INSTABILITY IS LESS THAN YESTERDAY BUT THE KINEMATICS ARE BETTER, MORE SIGNIFICANT BULK SHEAR VALUES. PWAT REMAIN HIGH IN THIS VERY JUICY AIRMASS SO HEAVY RAIN REMAINS A CONCERN. CURRENT FORECAST IN GOOD SHAPE JUST ADJUSTED POPS UPWARD INTO THE CATEGORICAL RANGE WITH FROPA. 640 AM UPDATE... LATEST RADAR TRENDS SHOWING VERY LITTLE ACTIVITY OVER THE FCST AREA. QUICK ADJUSTMENT TO ACCOUNT FOR LATEST POP/WX TRENDS. NO OTHER CHANGES NEEDED AT THE PRESENT TIME. PREVIOUS NEAR TERM DISCUSSION... ANOTHER BUSY DAY ON TAP FOR THE REGION AS A DEEPENING UPPER TROUGH AND A SERIES OF SFC COLD FRONTS MOVE OVER THE REGION LATER TODAY. BEFORE WE DIVE INTO THOSE DETAILS...EARLY MORNING RADAR IMAGERY SHOWING ONGOING SHWR ACTIVITY STRETCHING FROM WESTERN NY NORTHEAST THROUGH NORTHERN NY AND SOUTHERN ONTARIO. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY NOW DEVELOPING ACROSS THE PORTIONS OF NE PA WHICH APPEARS TO BE ON THE HEELS OF ANOTHER WEAK SHORTWAVE MOVING OVER OUR AREA IN SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. CURRENT ACTIVITY WILL HAVE LITTLE IMPACT ON THE AREA AS MAIN FORCING FROM UPPER TROUGH IS SET TO ARRIVE LATER TODAY. MEANWHILE...WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING A STRONG POSITIVELY TITLED TROUGH DIGGING ACROSS THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES THIS MORNING...WITH LATEST SFC OBSERVATIONS DEPICTING WHAT APPEARS TO BE TWO SEPARATE COLD FRONTS DOWNSTREAM ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN GREAT LAKES. THE FIRST OF THESE BOUNDARIES NOW RESIDES JUST WEST OF THE GREATER BUFFALO REGION WITH THE SECOND FURTHER WEST OUT TOWARDS DETROIT. AS THE TROUGH SETTLES ACROSS THE CENTRAL LAKES LATER TODAY...EXPECT BOTH FEATURES TO BEGIN WORKING EAST THROUGH OUR FCST AREA. AS HAS BEEN HIGHLIGHTED IN RECENT FCST UPDATES...MAIN CONCERNS TODAY REMAIN HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLE SEVERE WX AS DOWNSTREAM AIRMASS REMAINS WEAKLY UNSTABLE AND SYNOPTIC SCALE FORCING IMPROVES THROUGH THE DAY AS UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES WITH TIME. SEVERAL CONCERNS OUT THE GATE THIS MORNING REGARDING SEVERE WX POTENTIAL WITH THE FIRST BEING TIMING AS BOTH NAM AND GFS MODELS SUGGEST THE FIRST COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN MOVING ACROSS THE AREA SHORTLY AFTER 12Z. WITH ABUNDANT CLOUD COVER ACROSS OUR REGION THIS MORNING FROM OVERNIGHT CONVECTION ACROSS SOUTHERN ONTARIO AND WESTERN NY...EXPECT MUCH LESS INSTABILITY GENERATION AS COMPARED TO YESTERDAY (ROUGHLY 1000-1500 J/KG OF MLCAPE TODAY VS THE 3000-4000 J/KG YESTERDAY). DESPITE THIS HOWEVER...SYNOPTIC SCALE FORCING WILL BE MUCH BETTER TODAY AS AFTERNOONS TROUGH DIGS TO OUR WEST AND A DOWNSTREAM NORTH-SOUTH ORIENTED JETSTREAK STRENGTHENS WITH TIME. AS THIS OCCURS...MUCH OF OUR FCST AREA WILL BE UNDER STRONG UPPER-LEVEL DIVERGENCE ALOFT WHICH COMBINED WITH INCREASING PVA AND CONVERGENCE ALONG THE SFC BOUNDARY...SHOULD BE PLENTY TO GET SHWRS/STORMS GOING ONCE AGAIN AS FIRST BOUNDARY BEGINS PLOWING THROUGH OUR AREA. CONSIDERING THAT WIND FIELDS ALOFT WILL STRENGTHEN OVER THE DAY...EXPECT 0-6KM BULK SHEAR TO INCREASE TO NEAR 50 KTS BY LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. BUFKIT FCST SOUNDINGS LARGELY REVEAL STRONG UNIDIRECTIONAL FLOW...SUGGESTING THAT IF CONVECTION FIRES AS EXPECTED...CONVECTIVE MORPHOLOGY MAY EVOLVE INTO SHORT BOWING SEGMENTS AND POSSIBLE SPLITTING SUPERCELLS DURING THE AFTERNOON. CONSIDERING THE AIRMASS REMAINS SO MOIST (PWAT VALUES 2-3 STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE NORMAL)...WET MICROBURSTS WILL CERTAINLY BE A POSSIBILITY ALONG WITH ISOLATED LARGE HAIL. CURRENT THINKING IS BEST SEVERE POTENTIAL WILL RESIDE ALONG AND EAST OF I-81...WITH EVEN BETTER CONDITIONS EXPECTED FURTHER EAST ACROSS EASTERN NY AND WESTERN NEW ENGLAND AS THESE AREAS WILL HAVE A BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO DESTABILIZE BEFORE FRONT ROLES THROUGH. IN ANY EVENT...CONVECTION WILL LIKELY COME TO AN END FROM WEST TO EAST BY LATE AFTERNOON AS FIRST BOUNDARY RAPIDLY USES UP ALL AVAILABLE INSTABILITY...THUS LEAVING LITTLE IF ANY FOR THE SECOND BOUNDARY WHICH WILL WORK THROUGH LATER IN THE EVENING/OVERNIGHT. SECONDARY CONCERNS REVOLVE AROUND HEAVY RAINFALL POTENTIAL AND RENEWED FLASH FLOODING ESPECIALLY FOR AREAS THAT RECEIVED HEAVY RAINS YESTERDAY. QUICK LOOK AT PLAN VIEW MBE VECTORS ON AWIPS SUGGEST ENOUGH FLOW TO KEEP DEVELOPING CELLS MOVING...HOWEVER CANNOT RULE OUT SOME TRAINING AS CELLS CONTINUE DEVELOPING IN SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. THERE IS ALSO A POSSIBILITY THAT EASTWARD MOVEMENT OF THE UPPER TROUGH SLOWS DOWN WITH TIME AS ADDITIONAL VORT LOBES UNDERCUT THE MAIN TROUGH CENTER BY MID/LATE AFTERNOON. IN LIGHT OF THESE CONCERNS...HAVE ADVERTISED A HEAVY RAIN MENTION IN THE GRIDS AND WILL ALSO HIGHLIGHT CONCERNS IN THE HWO. RAIN CHANCES CONTINUE WELL INTO THE OVERNIGHT HRS AS SECONDARY COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. WITH BULK OF INSTABILITY ALREADY HAVING BEEN USED UP WITH THE FIRST FEATURE...SECONDARY FRONTAL PASSAGE SHOULD YIELD SHWR ACTIVITY ONLY. BY EARLY MORNING...COLD AIR ADVECTION OVER THE VERY WARM WATERS OF LAKE ONTARIO WILL LIKELY LEAD TO DEVELOPING LAKE EFFECT RAIN SHWRS DOWNWIND OF LAKE ONTARIO AND HAVE ADVERTISED BEST POPS AFTER 06Z ACROSS THE NORTHERN ZONES. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... STRONG HIGH PRESSURE TO BEGIN WORKING INTO THE AREA BY LATE FRIDAY. BEFORE THIS OCCURS HOWEVER...EXPECT LINGERING LAKE CLOUDS THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY WITH POSSIBLE LAKE EFFECT SHWRS DOWNSTREAM OF LAKE ONTARIO. MUCH COOLER AIR WILL SETTLE ACROSS THE REGION WITH HIGH TEMPS ONLY EXPECTED TO WARM INTO THE UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S. DRY WX TO RETURN BY SATURDAY WITH HIGH PRESSURE IN FIRM CONTROL. HIGH TEMPS ON SATURDAY TO MIRROR THOSE ON FRIDAY WITH UPPER 50S TO LOW 60S EXPECTED. WITH NEARLY CLEAR SKIES ALOFT...LOWS BOTH FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS WILL FALL INTO THE LWR TO MIDDLE 40S...WITH A FEW STRAY UPPER 30S POSSIBLE IN FAVORED VALLEY LOCATIONS. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... 210 AM UPDATE... NO CHGS NEEDED TO LONG TERM GRIDS AS MODELS ARE CONTINUING TO ADVERTISE LIGHT SHRAS SUN NGT INTO MONDAY WITH FRONT MVG THRU THE NE. MED RANGE MODELS AGREE WITH BUILDING THE UPR RIDGE EWRD FM THE PLAINS BY MID-WEEK EFFECTIVELY SHUTTING OFF ANY PCPN UNTIL LATE IN THE WEEK. PREV DISCUSSION BLO... 2 PM UPDATE... MEDIUM RANGE MODELS IN FAIR AGREEMENT THROUGH EXTENDED PERIOD. THE NORTHEAST WILL BEGIN THE PERIOD IN AN UPPER LEVEL TROF WITH A GRADUALLY BUILDING RIDGE LATE IN THE PERIOD AS THE MID WEST RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE GREAT LAKES. OVERALL A FAIRLY DRY BUT COOL EXTENDED FORECAST. ONLY PRECIP MAKER WILL BE A SFC COLD FRONT SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING. WILL CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE SLIGHT CHC/CHC POPS FOR THIS BOUNDARY. && .AVIATION /15Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... 12Z UPDATE... VFR CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NORTH THIS MORNING WITH MVFR CONDITIONS AT KELM/KBGM AND KAVP TERMINALS. EXPECT RESTRICTIONS TO DROP BELOW AIRFIELD MINIMUMS AT KELM THROUGH 13Z THIS MORNING THEN RISE TO MVFR THROUGH 14Z. LIGHT MVFR SHOWERS WILL OVERSPREAD TERMINALS ALONG INITIAL SURFACE TROUGH THIS MORNING WITH POTENTIAL FOR TSRA AFTER 15Z AT KSYR AND PROGRESSING SOUTH AND EAST FROM THERE WITH KAVP LAST TO EXPERIENCE THUNDER BETWEEN 19Z-22Z. SEE SPECIFIC TAFS FOR MORE DETAILS. LIGHT SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE AHEAD OF MAIN COLD FRONT WHICH SHOULD MOVE THROUGH AROUND 04Z. BEHIND FRONT, LOW VFR AND POTENTIAL MVFR RESTRICTIONS WILL BE PRESENT. LIGHT SW WINDS WILL INCREASE TO BETWEEN 5-10KTS BECOMING NORTHWEST LATE THIS AFTERNOON. OUTLOOK... FRI...EARLY MVFR CIGS/-SHRA...MAY IMPROVE BY LTR IN THE DAY. SAT/SUN...VFR...BUT MAYBE SOME EARLY MORNING FOG/IFR AT KELM. SUN NIGHT/MONDAY...RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE IN SCATTERED SHOWERS. && .BGM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...NONE. NY...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...CMG NEAR TERM...CMG/RRM SHORT TERM...CMG LONG TERM...PVN/RRM AVIATION...PVN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 638 AM EDT THU SEP 12 2013 NYZ009-018-036-037-044>046-056-057-062-PAZ039-040-043-044-047-048- 072-131045- NORTHERN ONEIDA-ONONDAGA-MADISON-SOUTHERN ONEIDA-CORTLAND-CHENANGO- OTSEGO-BROOME-DELAWARE-SULLIVAN-SUSQUEHANNA-NORTHERN WAYNE-WYOMING- LACKAWANNA-LUZERNE-PIKE-SOUTHERN WAYNE- 638 AM EDT THU SEP 12 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK...SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP TODAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. WITH VERY MOIST CONDITIONS REMAINING IN PLACE...ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE CAPABLE OF HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED MINOR FLOODING. IN ADDITION...SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS REMAINING THE BIGGEST THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NYZ015>017-022>025-055-PAZ038-131045- YATES-SENECA-SOUTHERN CAYUGA-STEUBEN-SCHUYLER-CHEMUNG-TOMPKINS-TIOGA- BRADFORD- 638 AM EDT THU SEP 12 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP TODAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. WITH VERY MOIST CONDITIONS REMAINING IN PLACE...ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE CAPABLE OF HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED MINOR FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The Binghamton radar (KBGM), 96 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:42 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees and wires were blown down on Cornelia Street.
Trees and wires were blown down at the corner of Route 34 and Ford Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New York in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, September 2013
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: 468991, 468990.