AUGUST 5

2003

Thunderstorms during the late morning and early afternoon hours produced downburst winds to 60 mph. The winds downed trees and power lines in West Falls ( Erie county), Constantia ( Oswego county) and Turin (Lewis county). The thunderstorms were accompanied by heavy rains of up to three inches which resulted in roads flooded and closed in Turin and Constantia. A weak tornado briefly touched down on the Fort Drum Military Base in Jefferson county. Only minimal damage to forest area occurred.

The afternoon thunderstorms produced several inches of rain over parts of the southern tier to the Finger Lakes region. The heavy rains fell on already saturated ground from storms over the past several weeks. Rainfalls of over an inch and a half in a half hour were reported. In Allegany county, the heavy rains again caused flash flooding and road closures over an area already hard hit and damaged by flooding in July. State Routes 417 and 19 were closed as culverts overflowed. In Ontario county, the towns of Honeoye, East Bloomfield , Bristol , Naples and Richmond were affected by flooding. Several roads were washed out and debris and tree limbs were littered throughout the area. Route 20A was closed by flood waters and a portion of the foundation of the roadway was washed away. In Perry and Honeoye, basement flooding was reported.