Lewiston, N.Y. (WBEN) - Not that 5.5 inches of rain falling on the Town of Lewiston during less than three hours early Tuesday morning is not something to be taken lightly, it could have been a lot worse.
Put it this way: 5.5 inches of rain translates to nearly six feet of snow.
"That would have been a tough one," said Steve Broderick, Lewiston Supervisor.
Lewiston bore the brunt of the mid-summer thunder, lightning and rain storm that cut through the region early Tuesday.
Broderick said more than 30 homeowners reported flooded basements, while some roads were briefly flooded and Four Mile Creek is flowing at rapid rate because of the rain water.
"Our highway and sewer departments have been out since 1 a.m. dealing with the water," Broderick said around mid-morning Tuesday. "We can handle it."
Most of the reported flooded basements were recorded in the Lewis Town Park, Morgan Farms and Mountainview Drive neighborhoods
While Lewiston reported 5.5 inches of rain, Niagara Falls and Lockport reported just one inch of rain.
"It was that type of storm pattern," said David Thomas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
Thomas said such Southern Ontario communities including St. Catharines reported even more rain that Lewiston.
Tuesday's storm was the toughest that Lewiston had to deal with this year, Broderick said.
"We do seem to be getting more of these big rain events lately," Broderick said. "But, we prepare for these weather events."
Lewiston recorded 5.5 inches of rain in less than three hours
Lewiston recorded 5.5 inches of rain in less than three hours
