Flooding Information for New York

MINOR FLOODING THROUGHOUT MUCH OF NEW YORK, January 23 to 26, 1999

Description of hydrologic event:

Moderate rainfall and unseasonably warm temperatures that caused rapid snowmelt resulted in minor flooding throughout New York State, January 23 to 26, 1999. Minor flooding also occurred in areas where ice-jams formed on streams and rivers such as the Moose River (Herkimer County), Mohawk River (Schenectady and Montgomery Counties), Wallkill River (Ulster County), Oswegotchie River (St. Lawrence County), Buffalo Creek (Erie County), Cayuga Creek (Erie County) and many other basins around the state.

One way to measure the magnitude of a flood is by calculating its statistical recurrence interval based on past floods. You often hear of the 100-year recurrence-interval flood, this simply means that there is a 1% (1 in 100) chance of this flood being exceeded in a given year. None of the flooding this past weekend approached these levels. The recurrence intervals of peak flows at USGS streamflow gages on January 23 to 26, 1999 were less than 10 years, most less than 2 years. A 2-year recurrence-interval flood is a flood that has a 1 in 2 chance of being exceeded in any given year (greater than 50% chance).

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***  NOTE ALL DATA ARE PROVISIONAL  ***
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                                   Recurrence
Site ID    Station Name            Interval        Date
--------   -------------------    ----------      -------
01318500   Hudson R. at Hadley      <2 yr         1/26/99
01334500   Hoosic R. @ Eagle Br      3 yr         1/24/99
01350000   Schoharie Cr.
                 @ Prattsville.     <2 yr         1/24/99
01357500   Mohawk R. @ Cohoes       <2 yr         1/25/99
01372500   Wappinger Cr
            @ Wappingers Falls      <2 yr         1/25/99
01413500   E. Br. Delaware R.
                   @ Margaretville  <2 yr         1/24/99
01420500   Beaver Kill @ Cooks Fl    5 yr         1/24/99
01423000   W. Br. Delaware @ Walton <2 yr         1/24/99
04217000   Tonawanda Cr at Batavia   3 yr         1/24/99
04218000   Tonawanda Cr at Rapids    2 yr         1/26/99
04218518   Ellicott Cr
               below Williamsville   7 yr         1/25/99
04260500   Black R. @ Watertown     <2 yr         1/24/99
04262500   W. Br. Oswegatchie
                         @ Harris    6 yr         1/25/99
04280450   Mettawee R nr M Granville 9 yr         1/24/99

Contact name: Gary Firda
email: gfirda@usgs.gov
phone: 518-285-5671

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Last modified: Wed Jan 27 14:09:35 1999