Lakeshore Flood and High Wind in New York, December 11 to 12, 2021

Name: Lakeshore Flood and High Wind in New York, December 11 to 12, 2021
Start: 2021-12-11T14:00
End: 2021-12-12T01:00
Location: New York

December 11 to 12, 2021 · NWS BUF · 23 events in 17 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 23 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: $2.6 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 23

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.

Two Pacific shortwave troughs promoted the formation and deepening of a surface low that tracked from the Great Plains, across southern Lake Michigan, and eventually to near James Bay while deepening below 980 mb. This pushed a strong cold front crossed our region. A strong isallobaric couplet with large pressure rises and a low-level jet of 75 knots just a few thousand feet off the ground supported a high wind event. Selected peak wind gusts included 57 mph in Wyoming, 68 mph in Fredonia, 71 mph at the Buffalo Waterfront, 66 mph at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, 70 mph at Batavia, 66 mph at Fort Drum, 65 mph in Harrisburg, 59 mph in York. 63 mph in Brockport, 60 mph at Rochester Airport, 74 mph at Niagara Falls Airport, 65 mph at Clifton Springs, 61 mph in Medina, 61 mph in Pultneyville, and 71 mph in Warsaw. Strong surface high pressure over the southern Plains amplified the pressure gradient such that a lake seiche did occur on Lake Erie with a smaller one evident on Lake Ontario, as well. The water level in downtown Buffalo rose to 10.6 feet above low water datum.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 high wind, 6 lakeshore flood. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Chautauqua

When: December 11, 2:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Chautauqua forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Southern Erie

When: December 11, 3:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Erie forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Northern Erie

When: December 11, 3:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Erie forecast zone
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Niagara

When: December 11, 3:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Niagara forecast zone
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.173, -78.691 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Orleans

When: December 11, 3:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Orleans forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.251, -78.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Genesee

When: December 11, 3:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Genesee forecast zone
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.001, -78.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Wyoming

When: December 11, 3:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Wyoming forecast zone
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Cattaraugus

When: December 11, 3:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Cattaraugus forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Allegany

When: December 11, 3:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Allegany forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 42.257, -78.028 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Livingston

When: December 11, 3:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Livingston forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.728, -77.775 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Ontario

When: December 11, 3:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Ontario forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.853, -77.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Monroe

When: December 11, 4:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.165, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Wayne

When: December 11, 4:00 PM EST to December 12, 1:00 AM EST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.066, -76.978 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Northern Cayuga

When: December 11, 4:00 PM EST to December 12, 1:00 AM EST
Where: Northern Cayuga forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 43.010, -76.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

Lakeshore Flood, Northern Erie

When: December 11, 4:12 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: WLON
Coordinates: 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The seiche on Lake Erie flooded Canalside in downtown Buffalo. This included parking lots for the ongoing hockey game at Key Bank Arena. Dozens of vehicles were inundated with water.

Lakeshore Flood, Southern Erie

When: December 11, 4:12 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: WLON
Coordinates: 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The seiche on Lake Erie inundated Route 5 near Hamburg as well as many homes along the lakeshore. It necessitated the evacuation of Hoover Beach as waves crashed into homes.

Lakeshore Flood, Niagara

When: December 11, 4:12 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Niagara forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: WLON
Coordinates: 43.173, -78.691 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lakeshore Flood, Chautauqua

When: December 11, 4:12 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Chautauqua forecast zone
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: WLON
Coordinates: 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The seiche on Lake Erie results in the evacuation of Sunset Bay. This left most homes under at least two feet of water.

Lakeshore Flood, Jefferson

When: December 11, 5:00 PM EST to December 12, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: WLON
Coordinates: 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds and waves caused significant erosion on the shoreline of Lake Ontario. Storm forced winds over the lake actually generated a seiche on the lake that brought the Cape Vincent water level up to 247.4 feet above low water datum.

Lakeshore Flood, Oswego

When: December 11, 5:00 PM EST to December 12, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Oswego forecast zone
Reported by: WLON
Coordinates: 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds and waves caused significant erosion on the shoreline of Lake Ontario.

High Wind, Oswego

When: December 11, 5:00 PM EST to December 12, 1:00 AM EST
Where: Oswego forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: C-MAN Station
Coordinates: 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Jefferson

When: December 11, 5:00 PM EST to December 12, 1:00 AM EST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

High Wind, Lewis

When: December 11, 5:00 PM EST to December 12, 1:00 AM EST
Where: Lewis forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dozens of reports of trees and powerlines down were received.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Lakeshore Flood: Flooding along the shore of one of the Great Lakes or another large lake.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New York in 2021 Every state in 2021 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, December 2021

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 988613, 988614, 988615, 988616, 988617, 988618, 988619, 988620, 988621, 988622, 988623, 988624, 988625, 988626, 988590, 988591, 988592, 988593, 988596, 988598, 988627, 988628, 988629.