Flash Flood in Chautauqua County, New York

A massive convective complex moved from lower Michigan across southern Ontario near Toronto then dove southeast across the Niagara Frontier and Western Southern Tier. This followed an earlier round of strong thunderstorms and heavy rains earlier in the day. Damage from the thunderstorm winds was widespread across the Niagara Frontier and Western Southern Tier. Trees as large as two to three feet in diameter were downed. Power outages were scattered throughout the region as the winds downed power lines.

The unprecedented heavy rains that fell'four to six inches in less than two hours'resulted in some of the worst flash flooding the area has seen. Parts of Erie, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties received State and Federal Disaster Declarations. In the Village of Silver Creek an entire mobile home park along Silver Creek was washed away. The flood waters continued through the heart of the village through the fire station, police headquarters and highway department. Several police cars, an ambulance and much of the town's highway equipment were lost. In Irving, the flood waters flowed across parts of the New York State Thruway and Routes 5 and 20. Water flooded portions of Lakeshore Hospital there. Also in Irving, the Seneca Nation sustained almost two million dollars in damage to roads and bridges. In total, in Chautauqua county hundreds of homes were damaged and 45 homes were condemned, including the 35 mobile homes of the aforementioned park. In the Village of Gowanda (part of which is in Erie County and part in Cattaraugus county), extensive flash flooding occurred. Tri-County hospital in Gowanda was inundated by flood waters. Patients were transferred to Lakeshore Hospital in Irving. Several hundred homes sustained damage and 40 homes were condemned there. One fatality occurred in Gowanda as an 80-year-old man ventured out to check a bridge on his property and was swept away by the flood waters. The gage on Cattaraugus Creek at Gowanda showed a rise from six feet to near 13 feet in less than an hour (flood stage is 10 feet). Throughout Cattaraugus county over one-quarter of the roads were damaged or lost.