Flood Watch In Effect For Erie County Today (3/1) Until 1pm

Hopefully your sump pump is working well today.  There is a flood watch for Erie County today until 1pm.

Drop a couple feet of snow all in one area, add rising temperatures to create a quick melt and ice to create jams in local creeks and you've got a recipe for flooding.

The National Weather Service is warning today that we could see flooding across Northern and Southern Erie County this afternoon until 1pm due to ice jam flooding in Buffalo area creeks.

According to the National Weather Forecast:

The Flood Watch continues for

* A portion of western New York, including the following counties,
  Northern Erie and Southern Erie.

* Until 1 PM EST this afternoon

* There is a risk that ice jams will develop due to the combination
  of light rain showers and warm temperatures yesterday. There is a
  substantial snow pack in the head waters of the Buffalo Creeks
  basins and warm weather has melted some of this snow pack,
  resulting in additional run-off. As a result creek levels will
  continue to rise through this morning, with additional ice break
  up possible on some creeks.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Flood Watch means there is a potential for flooding based on
current forecasts. You should monitor later forecasts and be alert
for possible flood warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding
should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.

Today would be a good day to make sure that your sump pump is still working in your home. It's not fun to have to clean up a basement after a flood.