Flash Flood — Chemung, New York

2023-08-28 · near Elmira Hgts, Chemung, New York

Event narrative

Water from two small creeks rushed rapidly off of a nearby hill and significantly flooded both lanes of I-86 near the Horseheads interchange. The interstate remained closed until the following morning.

Wider weather episode

A weak disturbance moving through the upper atmosphere across southern New York combined with an unusually warm and moist airmass to produce several rounds of scattered showers and thunderstorms over Chemung county. A very localized total of 2 to 3 inches of rain fell just to the west of Elmira, NY. The runoff from this heavy rain overwhelmed several small streams near the Horseheads exchange along I-86. The Interstate was severely flooded and remained closed until the morning of the 29th.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (42.1400, -76.8100)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1131178. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.