Buffalo area braces for flooding after record snow

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- After a three-day onslaught that dumped a historic 7 feet of snow on the Buffalo area and killed at least 13 people, the region is dealing with a new danger: predictions of flooding caused by rain and temperatures of up to 60 degrees.

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Sunday to Wednesday. Meteorologist Jon Hitchcock said drainage problems could occur if catch basins and storm drains are blocked by uncollected autumn leaves underneath the snow.

"There's roughly the equivalent of six inches of rain in the snowpack that will essentially be released over two days," Hitchcock said. "If it was released as rain it would be a monumental storm."

Nature sure can impose on people's lives.  First, wind driven cold air continuously moving over the relatively warm waters of Lake Erie dropping all that snow, and now warmer temps and rain to cause some serious flooding.  They should be declaring a disaster area soon.

That has been two of the most frightening situations I've seen here in the US. Nothing could prepare a person for that much snow. There has always been a fear among people living in snow filled areas. That one fear has been, getting stranded on the highway without food or a bathroom. The second fear is remaining safe and snug in your home but the roof caves in form the weight of all that snow. Fire and emergency cannot help because the roads are impassible. However, I believe the governor of New York, Cuomo, has made preparations for most scenarios. ::

Yea I mean hopefully the city implements some kind of complex sewer system but ultimately no prior planning can really help against a storm like the one they had. If Mother Nature wants to wreck havoc then she will do so at whim.

Wow...


There's still people living in Buffalo?  ::confused::


I thought that place was a ghost town.


All I heard about was people moving out of there.