High Wind, Northern Wayne
- When
- March 19, 7:00 PM EST to March 20, 5:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Wayne forecast zone
- Property damage
- $12,000
- Coordinates
- 41.649, -75.303 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Pennsylvania, March 19 to 20, 1996
A well developed storm system brought high winds to northeast Pennsylvania, as it tracked across the southern part of the state. There were many reports of downed trees and wires from the Wyoming Valley to the Poconos.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $71,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS BGM wrote it up.
A well developed storm system brought high winds to northeast Pennsylvania, as it tracked across the southern part of the state. There were many reports of downed trees and wires from the Wyoming Valley to the Poconos. A peak wind gust of 60 MPH was recorded at the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Airport in Avoca at 723 PM on the 19th. About 13,000 people were left without power from Hazelton to the greater Wilkes-Barre Scranton area.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Wyoming
- When
- March 19, 7:00 PM EST to March 20, 5:00 AM EST
- Where
- Wyoming forecast zone
- Property damage
- $12,000
- Coordinates
- 41.518, -76.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Lackawanna
- When
- March 19, 7:00 PM EST to March 20, 5:00 AM EST
- Where
- Lackawanna forecast zone
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 41.437, -75.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Luzerne
- When
- March 19, 7:00 PM EST to March 20, 5:00 AM EST
- Where
- Luzerne forecast zone
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Coordinates
- 41.177, -75.989 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Pike
- When
- March 19, 7:00 PM EST to March 20, 5:00 AM EST
- Where
- Pike forecast zone
- Property damage
- $12,000
- Coordinates
- 41.332, -75.034 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in Ohio, March 19 to 21, 1996
- Winter Storm in Illinois, March 19 to 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, March 19 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Maryland, March 19, 1996
- High Wind in New York, March 19 to 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Indiana, March 19 to 20, 1996
- High Wind in New York, March 19 to 20, 1996
- High Wind in Vermont, March 19 to 20, 1996
- High Wind in New Jersey, March 19, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Kentucky, March 19 to 20, 1996
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, March 19, 1996
- High Wind in South Carolina, March 19, 1996
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, March 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5546060, 5546061, 5546062, 5546063, 5546064.