CTZ001-013-MAZ001-025-NYZ032-033-038>043-047>054-058>061-063>066-
082>084-VTZ013>015-161200-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
800 AM EDT THU MAR 15 2012

...FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK CONTINUES...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NEW YORK AND NEW ENGLAND 
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES REMIND YOU THAT MARCH 12 THROUGH 
MARCH 16 IS FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK.

ONE OF OUR DEADLIEST WINTER WEATHER HAZARDS IS FLOODING. 

IN OUR REGION ONE USUALLY ASSOCIATES SNOW...ICE...AND BITING COLD 
WITH WINTER. BUT SOMETIMES NATURE THROWS A CURVE AT US...
UNSEASONABLE WARMTH...AND WITH IT...RAIN. 

A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT FACTORS WORK TOGETHER TO CAUSE WINTER 
FLOODING. UNSEASONABLE WARMTH CAUSES SNOWMELT. THE MELTING SNOW 
MAY SATURATE THE GROUND AND SWELL THE RIVERS. HEAVY RAINS IN 
COMBINATION WITH MELTING SNOW CAN PUT ENOUGH WATER IN THE RIVERS 
TO PRODUCE FLOODING.

SOME OF OUR WORST WINTER FLOODS ARE CAUSED BY INTENSE CYCLONES 
THAT TRACK FROM THE OHIO VALLEY NORTHEAST UP THE SAINT LAWRENCE 
VALLEY. THESE STORMS BRING WARM MOIST AIR INTO THE REGION...
RESULTING IN SNOW MELT AND RAIN.  

IN 2005 BACK TO BACK HEAVY RAIN EVENTS IN LATE MARCH AND EARLY 
APRIL COMBINED WITH SNOWMELT TO PRODUCE RECORD FLOODING IN THE 
CATSKILLS. SIX TO SEVEN INCHES OF RAINFALL COMBINED WITH TWO TO 
THREE INCHES OF SNOWMELT PUSHED AREA RIVERS TO RECORD LEVELS...
INCLUDING THE ESOPUS CREEK AT MOUNT MARION WHERE THE RIVER STAGE 
EXCEEDED 26 FEET. ANOTHER SUCH EVENT OCCURRED JANUARY 18 TO 19 
1996 WHEN MORE THAN 4.5 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ON AT LEAST 45 INCHES 
OF MELTING SNOW IN THE CATSKILLS. SEVERE FLOODING WAS OBSERVED 
ALONG THE SCHOHARIE CREEK. THE FLOODING WAS NOT LIMITED TO THE 
CATSKILLS...WITH 100 MILLION DOLLARS IN PROPERTY DAMAGE AND TEN 
DEATHS REPORTED STATE WIDE. FORTY ONE COUNTIES IN NEW YORK WERE 
DECLARED FEDERAL DISASTER AREAS.  

ANOTHER WINTER HAZARD IS FLOODING CAUSED BY ICE JAMS IN THE 
RIVERS. NEW YORK IS RANKED SECOND IN THE NATION IN FREQUENCY OF 
ICE JAMS...TRAILING ONLY MONTANA. VERMONT RANKS NINTH ON THE 
LIST...JUST BEHIND ALASKA.

AS RIVER FLOWS INCREASE...WATER LEVELS RISE. SINCE ICE THAT COVERS 
THE RIVERS IS LIGHTER THAN WATER IT WILL TEND TO FLOAT. UNDER THE 
PRESSURE IT WILL OFTEN BREAK INTO HUGE SLABS. THESE SLABS WILL 
THEN MOVE DOWNSTREAM IN THE CURRENT UNTIL THEY RUN INTO AN 
OBSTRUCTION SUCH AS A BEND...BRIDGE...ISLAND...OR SHALLOW AREA. 
WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE ICE WILL OFTEN STOP AND PILE UP INTO A JAM. 
WHEN A JAM BLOCKS THE FLOW OF THE RIVER...THE WATER CAN OVERFLOW 
THE BANKS IN LESS THAN AN HOUR AS IT TRIES TO GET AROUND THE ICE. 
ALSO AS THE WATER RISES THE PRESSURE CAN BREAK THE JAM AND RELEASE 
A SUDDEN SURGE OF WATER AND ICE DOWN THE RIVER. 

WHILE ICE JAMS OFTEN FORM IN THE SAME SPOTS YEAR AFTER YEAR...IT 
IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT EXACTLY WHEN OR WHERE A JAM WILL 
FORM...OR WHEN ONE WILL BREAK. SOMETIMES A JAM THAT FORMS IN 
EARLY WINTER WILL STAY FROZEN IN PLACE MUCH OF THE WINTER. 

TOMORROW WE WILL TAKE A LOOK AT FLOOD PREPAREDNESS AND SAFETY. 

REMEMBER...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH INTERNET ACCESS...ALL OF OUR WEATHER AND 
HYDROLOGIC INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ONLINE. SIMPLY GO TO 
WWW.WEATHER.GOV AND THEN CLICK ON EASTERN NEW YORK OR 
ADJACENT WESTERN NEW ENGLAND.

$$

DIRIENZO/WESTERGARD