Could lake erie cover the city of buffalo in water if it reached flood stage?

Question

Could lake erie cover the city of buffalo in water if it reached flood stage?

Answer 1

no

The average lake elevation is 571 feet while the elevation of city is around 600 feet. Water hangs around in the lake for 2.6 years so it would take quite a rain over weeks and weeks over the whole lake to raise the level to a dangerous level. As it is the lake has only gotten as high as 575 feet in the past 100 years. http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/_kd/Items/...

But Buffalo can get other water woes.

From wikpedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Erie

Lake Erie's short-term level changes are often subject to weather, since its shallowness and the southwest-to-northeast alignment of its longitudinal axis make it particularly prone to seiches, especially during high southwesterly winds, when the lake water tends to pile up at one end of the lake. This can lead to large storm surges, potentially causing damage onshore. During one storm in November 2003, the water level at Buffalo rose by 7 feet (2.1 m) with waves of 10-15 feet (3-4.5 m) on top of that, for a cumulative rise of as much as 22 feet (6.7 m)

Answer 2

yes.