Flooding becomes new threat in snowy Buffalo

Heavy equipment moves snow at the Central Terminal that was removed from south Buffalo neighborhoods after heavy lake-effect snowstorms on Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, in Buffalo, N.Y. A snowfall that brought huge drifts and closed roads in the Buffalo area finally ended Friday, yet residents still couldn't breathe easy, as the looming threat of rain and higher temperatures through the weekend and beyond raised the possibility of floods and more roofs collapsing under the heavy loads. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

By Associated Press November 22, 2014 3 min read

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – After a three-day onslaught that dumped a historic 7 feet of snow on the Buffalo area and killed at least 12 people, the sun came out, but so did predictions of flooding caused by rain and temperatures of up to 60 degrees.

Weather Service meteorologist Jon Hitchcock said there might be trouble with drainage as snow and the uncollected autumn leaves underneath blocked catch basins.

“The biggest flood threat would be on Monday when temperatures are at their warmest,” he said. “There could be general urban flooding.”

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

He said flooding would likely affect mostly basements and creeks.