Coastal Flood in New York, May 2 to 31, 2017

Name: Coastal Flood in New York, May 2 to 31, 2017
Start: 2017-05-02T14:00
End: 2017-05-31T23:59
Location: New York

May 2 to 31, 2017 · NWS BUF · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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.

During the first six months of 2017, more than twice the normal amount of water accumulated on Lake Ontario while the Ottawa River saw the highest flows in more than 50 years, leading to widespread flooding across the Lake Ontario St. Lawrence River system. In early 2017, Lake Erie levels were the highest they’d been for that time of year for almost 20 years. Inflows to Lake Ontario from Lake Erie were above average from January through June. Lake Ontario saw two of the wettest months ever recorded in April and May of 2017. Water levels were impacted by precipitation falling directly onto the lake’s surface and by runoff. Variable ice conditions in the St. Lawrence River from January through March along with high Ottawa River flows limited outflow from Lake Ontario. The lake reached a record level of 248.95 feet.|Flooding began in early May and continued into early fall. Waves destroyed public and private breakwalls all along the lake shore. Thousands of homes and buildings were affected flood waters. Several homes dropped off bluffs. In some areas shoreline erosion of 50 to 100 feet deep occurred. Sanitary sewer systems in lakeside communities were affected. Beaches, marinas and state parks were closed all summer long with unknown economic losses to mainly seasonal businesses. In late May, the Governor imposed a 5 mph speed limit within 600 feet of the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River shore. The shoreline counties of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River sustained enough damage to qualify for both a New York State and Federal Disaster Declaration. |By summer’s end, damage estimates included: $4 Million in Niagara County, $9 Million in Orleans County, $3 Million in Monroe County, $3 Million in Wayne County, $1 Million in Cayuga County, $23 Million in Oswego County and $10 Million in Jefferson County.

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 May 2, 6:59 AM EST, 7 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 2, 6:59 AM EST, 7 hours 1 minute before

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Hazardous weather outlook, May 2, 1:34 PM EST, 26 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, May 2, 12:07 PM EST, 1 hour 53 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 coastal flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Coastal Flood, Niagara

When: May 2, 2:00 PM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Niagara forecast zone
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 43.173, -78.691 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Coastal Flood, Orleans

When: May 2, 2:00 PM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Orleans forecast zone
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 43.251, -78.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Coastal Flood, Monroe

When: May 2, 2:00 PM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 43.165, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Coastal Flood, Wayne

When: May 2, 2:00 PM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 43.066, -76.978 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Coastal Flood, Northern Cayuga

When: May 2, 2:00 PM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Northern Cayuga forecast zone
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 43.010, -76.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Coastal Flood, Oswego

When: May 2, 2:00 PM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Oswego forecast zone
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Coastal Flood, Jefferson

When: May 2, 2:00 PM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Coastal Flood: Flooding of coastal land by the sea, from storm surge, onshore wind or high tides.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New York in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, May 2017

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: 728382, 728383, 728384, 728385, 728386, 728387, 728388.