Severe Thunderstorms in the Northeast and Northern Plains; Critical Fire Weather in the West

Scattered severe thunderstorms capable of damaging wind gusts and hail are forecast across the Northeast U.S. and North Dakota today. Heavy to excessive rainfall is possible over eastern New Mexico into western Texas and over the western Florida peninsula today. Critical fire weather conditions will persist today over parts of the interior Northwest and Great Basin. Read More >

Western New York Weather History

JUNE 10

1999

Scattered thunderstorms crossed the western southern tier during the evening hours. The thunderstorm winds downed tree limbs and power lines. Lightning struck a 5000 gallon crude oil storage tank. The tank exploded blowing out the bottom of it and hurling it into the air. HAZMAT crews were called out to clean up about 3000 gallons of crude oil which spilled. The torrential rains resulted in flash flooding which closed roads in the city of Jamestown.

2008

A pre-frontal trough well ahead of a cold front moved into a sultry airmass with ample instability and wind shear. A weak supercell formed near Erie, Pennsylvania and grew as it encountered an outflow from earlier convection. The storm continued to intensify as it moved across the western southern tier of New York and reach severe limits as it cross the eastern Finger Lakes and eastern Lake Ontario Regions of New York. The thunderstorms produced hail up to three-quarter inch in diameter and wind gusts were estimated to near 70 mph. The storms cut power to nearly 75,000 customers for several hours through the evening. Falling trees damaged homes and automobiles in Avon and York, Livingston county and Phoenix, Oswego and Sandy Pond in Oswego county. Oswego County was particularly hard hit. In Sandy Creek, between 500 and 600 trees were downed at the Elms Golf Club. The utilities reported about 100 power poles downed by the storms. Two funnels were spotted—one in Cayuga County and one in Jefferson County however no touchdown occurred in either case. One death occurred with the storms. In the town of Croghan, a 47-year-old logger was crushed by a falling tree.

After a strong line of convection that moved through the Eastern Lake Ontario region, there was about a six period of tranquil weather during which the atmosphere warmed and became unstable again ahead of the next prefrontal trough in front of the relatively dry cold front upstream. Outflows from developing cells over Lake Ontario were again the main focusing boundary on which all severe weather developed. Lewis County was hardest hit with damage being reported in Lowville, Beaver Falls and Kirschnerville.