Areas of Severe Thunderstorms and Excessive Rainfall through This Weekend

A multi-day thunderstorm and heavy rain event will impact the south-central U.S. this Memorial Day weekend. Severe thunderstorms may produce large hail, severe gusts, and a possible tornado or two across portions of the central and southern Plains through Monday. The threat for heavy to excessive rainfall and possible flash flooding will return to the south-central U.S., especially in the Ozarks. Read More >

Western New York Weather History

JUNE 26

1980

Severe thunderstorms caused extensive damage in Genesee and Orleans counties. There were power outages due to the thunderstorms and heavy rains caused street flooding and crop damage. Unconfirmed tornadoes were reported at Albion and in the Oakfield/Alabama area. Three motor homes were destroyed and a roof was blown off a home under construction around Batavia. Hail up to 3/4 inch caused extensive glass damage and enough trees were blown down to close most roads in northwest Batavia.

1995

Severe thunderstorms moved across portions of Western and Central New York. The thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines. Power outages were scattered across the entire area. In Lewiston, the thunderstorm winds moved a mobile home a foot and a half off its foundation. In Niagara Falls, an elderly woman was standing near a window when lightning struck her and knocked her to the floor. She suffered a broken hip. Wind damage was reported in Bennington, Pittsford, Newark, Buffalo, Rochester, Bergen, Cuba, Palermo and Jamestown. Hail up to an inch-and-three-quarters fell in Allegany and Newark.

1998

Severe thunderstorms crossed the Niagara Frontier, the western southern tier and eastern Lake Ontario Region during the early morning hours. The thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds which downed trees and power lines. One-inch hail fell in Batavia. Wind damage was reported in Sodus, Castorland, North Tonawanda, Alden and Collins. The damage from thunderstorm winds paled in comparison to the damage resulting from the flash floods the thunderstorms produced. Five to six inches of rain fell in a two hundred square mile area sending small streams out of their banks causing several million dollars worth of property damage in the Villages of Arcade and Gowanda. Cattaraugus Creek rose faster than any time in memory and crested two feet over flood stage. This surge caused many boats to break loose from their moorings at the mouth of the creek at Sunset Bay and over a hundred boats were shoved out into Lake Erie and wrecked. Erie, Wyoming and Cattaraugus counties were declared state and federal disaster areas. In Arcade, 37 were rescued from treetops and rooftops by the Water Rescue Team. Over 130 homes were damaged in Arcade.

2002

Thunderstorms developed in a warm, moist, unstable flow during the late morning and afternoon hours. The strong thunderstorms produced damaging wind gusts that downed trees and power lines, including a transmission line in Oswego county that cut power to more than 10,000 customers. An additional 8,000 lost power in the Rochester Metro area and 3,500 in the northern Finger Lakes region. The storms dropped over two inches of rain in a short period of time causing minor damage when drains and ditches overflowed onto roads and streets in parts of the Southern Tier, especially Allegany county. In Ontario, Wayne county, a stand of 30 pine trees were snapped midway up their trunks.

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