Flash Flood — Delaware, New York

2007-06-19 · near Colchester, Delaware, New York

Event narrative

A catastrophic flash flood occurred the evening of June 19th. The area along the border of Delaware and Sullivan Counties received between 8 and 11 inches of rain in 2 to 3 hours. The water washed out one bridge, damaged several other bridges and roads, destroyed all land-line and cellular communications and ripped homes from their foundations.

4 people were killed by what was described as a 4 to 8 foot wall of water which torn down the hill close to route 206/county route 7. 3 of the people that were killed were in homes that were washed away. 1 person was in a car. The flooding abated late in the evening.

A detailed assessment of the damages to the homes and businesses in Delaware county was conducted by the New York State Emergency Management Office and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. These assessments found that 37 homes had been destroyed and 16 additional homes had suffered major damages. A section of route 206/county route 7 was destroyed between Rockland and Downsville. The flooding tore a 26 foot deep gully into state route 206/county route 7. Total damages were around 30 million dollars.

Wider weather episode

High pressure moved off the east coast ahead of an approaching cold front, allowing southwest winds to bring a flow of hot and humid air across the region. Showers and thunderstorms developed out ahead of this strong cold front, with numerous reports of large hail and wind damage.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (42.1700, -75.0800)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 43944. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.