3/18/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
NWS: Calling weather spotters
Lake effect snow starting today Oneida, Onondaga, Madison
Water news for Monday, March 18, 2024 updated 1035 am EDT
National Weather Serivce Hazardous Weather Outlook issued 333 am March 18
Fluctuating bands of lake effect snow will occur starting late this
afternoon. Accumulations will be most likely overnight, which may cause slick roads for the Tuesday morning commute. Monitor the forecast for updates.
Lake effect snow will continue on Tuesday. Another system will bring more widespread snow to the region on Wednesday followed by lake effect snowfall again Wednesday night and Thursday. Continue to monitor the forecast for updates as winter weather headlines may be needed at a later time.
SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. Please relay any information about severe weather to the NWS.
Impacting Northern Oneida-Onondaga-Madison-Southern Oneida-
Streamflow Situation from USGS current streamflow monitors
According to NWA Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, Reynolds Channel sensors are unavailable this morning. Flooding reported from the USGS provisional data yesterday and this morning may be due to a technical error. See the provisional data statement below for more on how we interact with technology in the monitoring of water bodies.
Northeast drainage basin to the St Lawrence River and Lake Champlain is running above seasonal normal to much above normal Monday. With snow in the forecast for west interior NYS, we expect to see more ice impacted flows in the smaller rivers and creeks. Little Salmon River is recording ice conditions Monday in the St. Lawrence watershed. Port Henry water level appears stable, one foot below flood stage, as it has been for the past couple of days, not moving up with the higher streamflows into Lake Champlain. We continue to watch the level at Port Henry for changes. More to follow.
Upper Hudson River is recording much above normal streamflows, 80 to 91st percentile from Newcomb to Fort Edward; 84th percentile at Waterford, shifting to normal 67the percentile at Green Island. Monitors downstream in the Hudson estuary are not rated, rated tributaries in the Lower Hudson watershed run at normal levels. Long Island flows are mostly normal, down to two stations rated much above normal Monday at Valley Stream and Patchogue.
Southeast basin Chemung and Susquehanna River watersheds continue to run at seasonal normal levels. Delaware River streamflows run above normal to much above normal and Ramapo River watershed flows are also rated at the average seasonal normal for this day in water recording history.
For the west state, Lower Genesee and Niagara River - Lake Erie drainage area streamflows run mostly normal, two stations reported below normal in Genesee River watershed. Oswego River-Finger Lakes streamflows are mostly normal, two stations below normal.
No active flooding or extreme high or low flows observed as of this report. USGS gauge for Reynolds Channel shows in active flood stage at 6 ft over with no other flooding along the south shore. This is presumed to be a sensor malfunction, more to follow.
As many NYS drinking water facilities are supplied from surface water reservoirs, the streamflow situation is pertinent to both drinking water supply and quality. High flows can stir up sediment and cause turbidity in the reservoirs, requiring additional treatments to render the water potable. Low flow volume is linked to warmer temperatures in the reservoir and can be an issue for water quality where HABs are present. WTNY.us tracks streamflow trends with an eye to the impacts on drinking water supply and quality in each of the state's 17 watersheds. Check the watershed layer on the map to see the direction of flow and streamflows that may be impacting drinking water today.
Drought Map 7-day average streamflows
Allegheny River watershed area in central Chautauqua County hops on the drought map Monday at below normal.
Niagara River - Lake Erie watershed area persist at below normal in a band along the Niagara-Erie County line. Lower Geneseee River watershed remains below normal.
Flooding in the USA provisional data from USGS streamflow monitors
Thirty-three sites mark flooding across the network of the USGS streamflow monitors in continental USA Monday morning, down from forty-three this time Sunday.
WT tracks flooding and drinking water quality in four states. A single station recording coastal flooding in NY over the weekend, Reynolds Channel at Point Lookout is this morning presumed to be a technical error, more to follow.
Tiffin River flooding subsided at Stryker in northwest Ohio around 9 pm last night, back in the channel less than 24 hours after flooding began. (Correction notice: Tiffin River flooding reported earlier as ending at 11 pm Sunday March 17.) Tiffin River is part of the Maumee watershed, the principal region of interest for nutrient runoff feeding the Lake Erie HAB. More to follow as we track precipitation and streamflows through the critical spring season on the tenth anniversary of the Toledo water crisis.
Four stations record flooding in Louisiana Monday morning, including Bayou Dorcheat near Springhill, Bayou Bodcau near Shreveport in the northwest and Pearl River flooding near Bogalusa and downstream municipality of Pearl River along the east state line.
Georgia is the flood leader again today, accounting for one third of active flooding in the USA Monday. The current flooding event in GA began on March 6 caused by heavy rain through north and central Georgia. Flint River has ceased flooding this morning since our initial report, ending the flooding in the Georgia contribution to the Gulf of Mexico. Ocmulgee, Altamaha, Satilla, Savannah, Ogeechee and, Ohoopee Rivers continue to send floodwater down to the Atlantic Ocean. Refer to black tags on the maps for updated flood flow levels, blue tags for 99th percentile high flows.
WaterToday Georgia
WaterToday Louisiana
WaterToday Ohio
Hazardous Spills Report a spill 1-800-457-7362
Home heating fuel oil spills continue to plague the estimated 2 million homes are heating with #2 fuel oil and kerosene.
Reported in a single day this past week, March 11, two callers with large heating oil spills in residence, 160 gallons spilled in the Bronx and 190 gallons spilled in Chenango Forks. A caller to the NY DEC Emergency Spill hotline reported 200 gallons of kerosene spilled at a private residence in Ithaca last week March 7. The cause of the spills is noted as equipment failure.
Spills impacting water on this same day, March 11 include a spill of unknown amount of manure into Flint Creek at Phelps, and an unknown material spilled into Beaver Creek in the Niagara Lake Erie watershed near Dunkirk.
NY DEC Emergency spill hotline takes reports of hazardous materials spills from anyone with knowledge of a spill. Professional responders are dispatched to contain spills and remove hazardous materials. Note that a spill of one gallon of home heating oil inside a residence is considered a large spill requiring professional response and cleanup. Ventilate the building and clear the area if a spill of fuel oil #2 occurs inside your home, and call the emergency spill line.
USGS Provisional Data Statement
Data are provisional and subject to revision until they have been thoroughly reviewed and received final approval. Current condition data relayed by satellite or other telemetry are automatically screened to not display improbable values until they can be verified.
Provisional data may be inaccurate due to instrument malfunctions or physical changes at the measurement site. Subsequent review based on field inspections and measurements may result in significant revisions to the data.
Data users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of the information before using it for decisions that concern personal or public safety or the conduct of business that involves substantial monetary or operational consequences. Information concerning the accuracy and appropriate uses of these data or concerning other hydrologic data may be obtained from the USGS.
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