FLOOD WARNINGS...EXTENSIONS AND UPDATES  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1117 AM EST FRI JAN 9 1998

FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MANY OF THE RIVERS AND CREEKS 
ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL NEW YORK.

HERE IS A SUMMARY:

.BLACK RIVER.....THROUGH SUNDAY (EXTENDED).
.GENESEE RIVER BELOW THE MT MORRIS DAM...THROUGH SUNDAY (EXTENDED).
.BLACK AND OATKA CREEKS...THROUGH SUNDAY (EXTENDED).
.ALLEGHENY RIVER....THROUGH SATURDAY (EXTENDED).
.CHAUTAUQUA LAKE...THROUGH SUNDAY (ISSUED).
.TONAWANDA CREEK...THROUGH SUNDAY (EXTENDED).
.ELLICOTT CREEK....THROUGH SATURDAY.

THE MOST SERIOUS FLOODING IN WESTERN NEW YORK IS ALONG THE LOWER 
GENESEE RIVER BELOW (NORTH) OF THE MOUNT MORRIS DAM AND ALONG THE 
BLACK AND OATKA CREEKS THROUGH THEIR CONFLUENCE WITH THE GENESEE. 
THIS INCLUDES MUCH OF ROCHESTER'S SOUTH SUBURBAN AREA. LEVELS IN THIS 
AREA ARE THE SECOND OR THIRD HIGHEST SINCE 1960. THESE LEVELS WILL 
GENERALLY BE AT THEIR HIGHEST TONIGHT...WITH A SLOW RECESSION ON 
SATURDAY.

EVEN MORE SERIOUS IS THE FLOODING ON THE BLACK RIVER EAST OF LAKE 
ONTARIO IN LEWIS AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES. MOST OF THAT AREA HAS BEEN 
CRIPPLED BY A MAJOR ICE STORM...BUT THE BLACK RIVER CONTINUES TO RISE 
AND IT NOW APPEARS THAT WATER LEVELS WILL EXCEED THE RECORD FLOOD OF 
APRIL 1993 BY ONE TO TWO FEET THROUGH JEFFERSON COUNTY INCLUDING THE 
CITY OF WATERTOWN DURING SATURDAY.

THE FOLLOWING WERE CONDITIONS AS OF 10 AM THIS MORNING AND FORECASTED 
LEVELS BY RIVER/CREEK:


.BLACK RIVER.

FLOOD WARNINGS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH SUNDAY ALONG THE RIVER IN 
LEWIS AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES.

.BOONVILLE...10 AM LEVEL WAS 10.51 FT. FLOOD STAGE IS 10 FEET. RIVER 
HAS BEGUN TO FALL FROM ITS CREST OF 11.1 FEET AT 6 AM THIS MORNING. 
RIVER WILL CONTINUE TO FALL SLOWLY FROM NOW ON.

.WATERTOWN...10 AM LEVEL WAS 12.35 FEET. FLOOD STAGE IS 10 FEET. 
RIVER WILL CONTINUE TO RISE AND EXCEED ITS FLOOD OF RECORD ON 
SATURDAY. CURRENT PROJECTED CREST IS BETWEEN 15 TO 16 FEET LATE 
SATURDAY...
OR 1 TO 2 FEET ABOVE THE FLOOD OF APRIL 1993. 

SEVERE AND WIDESPREAD RESIDENTIAL AND INDUSTRIAL FLOODING CAN BE 
EXPECTED IN THE WATERTOWN AREA...ESPECIALLY AROUND THE CHAPIN 
FACTORY...RIVER AND HUNTINGTON STREETS...ALSO IN VILLAGES OF CARTHAGE 
AND PHILADELPHIA. 


.GENESEE RIVER.

FLOOD WARNINGS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED FOR THE RIVER BELOW (NORTH) THE 
MOUNT MORRIS DAM THROUGH SUNDAY. THE RIVER HAS RECEDED BELOW FLOOD 
STAGE ABOVE THE DAM AT PORTAGEVILLE THIS MORNING.

.AVON...10 AM LEVEL WAS 36.19 FEET. FLOOD STAGE IS 33 FEET. RIVER IS 
CRESTING CURRENTLY NEAR 36.3 FEET AND WILL START FALLING THIS 
AFTERNOON...FALLING BELOW FLOOD STAGE SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THIS 
ASSUMES THE DAM REMAINS CLOSED.

.ROCHESTER...10 AM LEVEL WAS 15.8 FEET. FLOOD STAGE IS 15 FEET. RIVER 
SHOULD CREST DURING SATURDAY BETWEEN 16 AND 16.5 FEET. THIS WILL BE 
THE HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE APRIL 1984.


.BLACK CREEK.

FLOOD WARNINGS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH SUNDAY.

.CHURCHVILLE...10 AM LEVEL WAS 9.03 FEET. FLOOD STAGE IS 6 FEET. 
CREEK WILL CONTINUE TO RISE SLOWLY TO NEAR 9.5 FEET AROUND MIDNIGHT 
TONIGHT...THEN SLOWLY FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE BY SUNDAY. THE FLOOD OF 
RECORD IS 9.44 FEET IN MARCH 1960.


.OATKA CREEK.

FLOOD WARNINGS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH SUNDAY.

.GARBUTT...10 AM LEVEL WAS 8.70 FEET. THIS IS A NEW FLOOD OF RECORD 
(PREVIOUS WAS 8.64 FEET IN MARCH 1960). FLOOD STAGE IS 6 FEET. CREEK 
WILL RISE SLOWLY TO NEAR 9 FEET THIS EVENING...THEN FALL SLOWLY BELOW 
FLOOD STAGE BY SUNDAY.


.ALLEGHENY RIVER.

FLOOD WARNINGS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH SATURDAY.

.OLEAN...10 AM LEVEL WAS 13.19 FEET. FLOOD STAGE IS 10 FEET. RIVER 
WILL CREST THIS AFTERNOON AROUND 13.3 FEET...THEN SLOWLY FALL TO 
BELOW FLOOD STAGE SATURDAY MORNING.

.SALAMANCA...10 AM LEVEL WAS 14.24 FEET. FLOOD STAGE IS 12 FEET. 
RIVER WILL CREST AROUND 15 FEET THIS EVENING...THEN FALL TO BELOW 
FLOOD STAGE LATER SATURDAY.

MODERATE FLOODING WILL CONTINUE FOR AWHILE IN AREAS ALONG THE RIVER 
UNPROTECTED BY DIKES INCLUDING PORTIONS OF PORTVILLE.

FLOOD WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED THROUGH SUNDAY FOR CHAUTAUQUA LAKE 
INCLUDING THE CHADAKOIN RIVER IN THE FALCONER AREA. THE LEVEL AT 
BEMUS POINT WAS 1310.37 FEET AS OF 10 AM. FLOOD STAGE WAS 1309.5 
FEET. AT FALCONER THE LEVEL WAS 3.78 FEET. FLOOD STAGE IS 3.5 FEET. 
THESE LEVELS WILL RISE A FEW MORE INCHES BY SATURDAY THEN START TO 
FALL. MINOR FLOODING IS LIKELY ALONG LOW LYING AREAS NEAR THE LAKE 
AND CREEK.


.TONAWANDA CREEK.

FLOOD WARNINGS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH SUNDAY.

.BATAVIA GAGE...10 AM LEVEL WAS 12.02 FEET AND FALLING. FLOOD STAGE 
IS 9 FEET. CREEK CRESTED NEAR 12.5 FEET AROUND 4 AM THIS MORNING. THE 
CREEK WILL CREST AT RAPIDS TONIGHT AND THROUGH NORTH CLARENCE AND 
NORTH AMHERST DURING SATURDAY.

.ELLICOTT CREEK.

FLOOD WARNINGS CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY.

.WILLIAMSVILLE GAGE...10 AM LEVEL WAS 9.92 FEET AND BEGINNING TO 
FALL. FLOOD STAGE IS 8 FEET. CREEK HAS APPARENTLY CRESTED NEAR THE 
GAGE AT 10.1 FEET AROUND 9 AM. THE CREEK WILL GRADUALLY FALL THROUGH 
CHEEKTOWAGA AND LANCASTER FROM NOW ON. THE CREST WILL BE IN THE 
VICINITY OF THE UNIVERSITY THIS AFTERNOON AND REACH ELLICOTT CREEK 
PARK TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. 

REMEMBER...A FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR ALREADY 
OCCURRING. ANYONE WITH INTERESTS NEAR THE RIVERS AND CREEKS SHOULD 
CONTINUE TO TAKE ALL NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND 
PROPERTY.

ANOTHER STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

MCLAUGHLIN