Flash Flood in Oneida County, New York

Tropical moisture streamed northward into upstate New York ahead of a frontal system which slowly moved westward into the eastern Great Lakes by Tuesday morning the 27th. This brought an initial round of heavy rain to Oneida County by Tuesday morning. From 2 to 4 inches of rain fell by Tuesday morning. The rain abated for a short time during the day Tuesday before another batch of heavy rain fell Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning as the front moved back east and combined with a low pressure system moving up the eastern seaboard. Total rainfall for the three day period ending Wednesday was between 4 and 8 inches. This scenario caused the worst flash flooding in Oneida County in 20 years, impacting many areas of the county starting at 730 pm EDT Tuesday and lasting into Wednesday. Hardest hit areas were Western, Deerfield, Vernon and Verona, Kirkland, Oriskany Falls and Steuben. There was one bridge washed out with at least 17 roads flooded. In the town of Deerfield, 22 homes were flooded by the West Canada Creek. No one was killed by the flooding with damage estimates around 50 million dollars. A state of emergency was declared for Oneida County as numerous roads were closed which included the New York State Thruway.