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National Weather Service warns of flooding Monday

By Howard B. Owens

From the National Weather Service:

...FLOODING POSSIBLE EARLY NEXT WEEK... TWO SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENTS THIS WEEK HAVE BROUGHT A VERY DEEP SNOWPACK ACROSS PORTIONS OF WESTERN NEW YORK. THIS SNOWPACK NOW STORES A LARGE QUANTITY OF WATER. AFTER THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW ENDS...A WARMING TREND IS EXPECTED TO START EARLY THIS WEEKEND. BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AIR TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. DAYTIME HIGHS WILL RISE TO NEAR 50 F DEGREES ON SUNDAY...AND NEAR 60 F DEGREES ON MONDAY. IN ADDITION TO THE WARMING AIR TEMPERATURES...A SOUTHERLY BREEZE AND RISING DEW POINTS WILL MAKE FOR A MORE EFFICIENT MELTING OF THE SNOWPACK.

AT FIRST THE SNOWPACK WILL ABSORB MUCH OF THE WATER FROM THE SNOW MELT. HOWEVER AS THE SNOWPACK RIPENS...AND WITH THE ADDITION OF A HALF INCH OR SO OF RAINFALL SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE.

PEOPLE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING...AND WHERE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW FELL SHOULD TAKE TIME IN ADVANCE OF THE WARMING TO PREPARE FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING EARLY NEXT WEEK. IN ADDITION TO CREEKS AND SMALL STREAMS FLOODING THEIR BANKS...WIDESPREAD FLOODING IS POSSIBLE ACROSS TOWNS WHERE SEVERAL FEET OF SNOW FELL.

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD WATCH FOR A PORTION OF WESTERN NEW YORK...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...GENESEE...NORTHERN ERIE...SOUTHERN ERIE AND WYOMING. THIS ESPECIALLY INCLUDES THE BUFFALO METRO AREA.

* FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.

* SNOW MELT FROM THE RECENT SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENTS COMBINED WITH RAINFALL EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING.

* SMALLER STREAMS AND CREEKS WILL BE PRONE TO FLOODING FROM SNOW MELT. THIS WILL INCLUDE THE CREEKS THAT FLOW THROUGH THE BUFFALO METRO AREA. TOWNS THAT RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW WILL ALSO HAVE POTENTIAL FOR URBAN FLOODING FROM THE SNOW MELT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON CURRENT FORECASTS. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING DEVELOP. STAY TUNED TO WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER RADIO AND TV STATIONS FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES.

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