Strong Wind, Northern Erie
- When
- September 4, 2:30 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Erie forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 42.118, -80.098 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind in Pennsylvania, September 4, 1996
High wind caused a large swirl of loose hay to be stirred up in a field and driven high into the sky while trees nearby were bent down near the ground. The swirl tracked northeast to southwest and blew all the lawn furniture from a patio, most of which was destroyed along with a swing set with canopy roof.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 CLE wrote it up.
High wind caused a large swirl of loose hay to be stirred up in a field and driven high into the sky while trees nearby were bent down near the ground. The swirl tracked northeast to southwest and blew all the lawn furniture from a patio, most of which was destroyed along with a swing set with canopy roof. Siding on the house was dented from objects being bounced off it from the wind. Winds were estimated at 60 miles per hour. This was most likely a "dust devil" type of phenomenon.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Strong Wind
- Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hurricane in North Carolina, September 4 to 6, 1996
- Flash Flood in North Carolina, September 4, 1996
- Flash Flood in North Carolina, September 4, 1996
- Hail in North Dakota, September 4, 1996
- Flash Flood in North Carolina, September 4, 1996
- Flooding in Virginia, September 4 to 11, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Texas, September 4, 1996
- Hail in North Dakota, September 4, 1996
- Flash Flood in California, September 4, 1996
- Hail in North Dakota, September 4, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Texas, September 4, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Texas, September 4, 1996
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, September 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: 5564029.