Flood — Hamilton, New York

2019-11-01 · near Benson, Hamilton, New York

Event narrative

Extensive flooding occurred along the Sacandaga River from Wells to Benson. Route 30 was impassable in several areas with water over the road. Widespread flooding occurred in Wells with water entering some residences, prompting rescues by airboat. The river reached a record crest of 12.26 feet at Hope, and was over major flood stage between 2330EST 31 October and 1515EST 1 November.

Wider weather episode

A strengthening low pressure system moving from Ohio to Lake Ontario drew anomalous warmth and moisture northward on Halloween, with temperatures surging into the 60s and 70s over eastern New York and western New England. A large swath of rainfall totaling 2-5 inches, with isolated areas as high as 7 inches, occurred over the Mohawk Valley and southern Adirondacks, resulting in reports of flash flooding. The runoff caused rapid rises on area creeks and streams, with river gauges reaching record levels along the Mohawk River at Little Falls, the West Canada Creek at Hinckley and Kast Bridge, and the Sacandaga River at Hope. Moderate flooding also occurred on the Hudson River at Fort Edward, Hadley, and North Creek; the Schroon River at Riverbank; and the Mohawk River at Delta Dam. Although river rises and some impacts occurred prior to midnight (see also October 2019 StormData), the crests occurred on 1 November, and impacts persisted into the first week of November in some areas. The flooding was extensive over portions of the area, damaging and destroying numerous roads and structures and resulting in water rescues. Between 150 and 200 people were evacuated in Herkimer County. The number of dwellings damaged by the flooding was 344, of which 135 sustained major damage, and 18 were destroyed.

As a result of the flooding, a major disaster for the state of New York was requested by Governor Cuomo and approved by the President. The monetary damages for public infrastructure requested for the Mohawk Valley and southern Adirondacks totaled around $17 million ($1.2 million for Fulton County, $3.0 million for Hamilton County, $8.8 million for Herkimer County, $0.5 million for Montgomery, $1.6 million for Saratoga, and $1.9 million for Warren). Actual damage amounts were estimated to be even higher by county emergency managers. A state of emergency was declared for Dutchess, Herkimer, Hamilton, Saratoga, and Warren Counties, and boil water notices were issued in Herkimer, Hamilton, and Warren Counties due to floodwater inundation of private and public water systems. The American Red Cross opened shelters to house those displaced by flood damage.

Behind the system, westerly winds became very strong with gusts recorded as high as 63 miles per hour. The winds brought down numerous trees and resulted in widespread power outages over portions of eastern New York. Over 92,000 customers lost power, including around 26,000 in Saratoga County, 15,000 in Ulster County, and 14,000 in Dutchess County.

Other impacts from the flooding and high winds included the cancellation of Amtrak service between Syracuse and Albany due to high water encroaching on train tracks, and portions of the Adirondack Park backcountry becoming impassable due to bridge washouts, high water at stream crossings, and downed trees and debris on trails and at trailheads.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (43.2570, -74.2291)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 864671. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.