High Wind, Niagara
- When
- February 22, 8:55 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Niagara forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 43.173, -78.691 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in New York, February 22, 1997
A strong cold front cross the region during the morning hours. Temperatures dropped 40 to 45 degrees with the passage of the front.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 14 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
- 1
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- $1.8 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 14
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 BUF wrote it up.
A strong cold front cross the region during the morning hours. Temperatures dropped 40 to 45 degrees with the passage of the front. The funnelling effect of the Great Lakes combined with rapid pressure rises behind the front to produce hazardous winds. Trees, power lines and poles were downed across the entire area. Hundreds of thousands were left without power. Reports of homes and autos damaged by the falling trees and limbs were numerous. The strong winds caused structure damage in some locations tearing off roofs and shingles, blowing out windows, and collapsing walls. Air travel from the Buffalo and Rochester airports was interrupted. A 54 year old volunteer fireman was killed in Spencerport while responding to an emergency call when a large tree fell on the car crushing him. His 15 year old son also riding in the car suffered injuries. Reported gusts included: 61 knots at Rochester, 58 knots at Watertown, 53 knots at Buffalo and 51 knots at Niagara Falls.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
14 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Orleans
- When
- February 22, 8:55 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Orleans forecast zone
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Coordinates
- 43.251, -78.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Genesee
- When
- February 22, 8:55 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Genesee forecast zone
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Coordinates
- 43.001, -78.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern Erie
- When
- February 22, 8:55 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Erie forecast zone
- Measured
- 53 kt (61 mph)
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Coordinates
- 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Wyoming
- When
- February 22, 8:55 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Wyoming forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Chautauqua
- When
- February 22, 8:55 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Chautauqua forecast zone
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Coordinates
- 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Cattaraugus
- When
- February 22, 8:55 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Cattaraugus forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Allegany
- When
- February 22, 8:55 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Allegany forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 42.257, -78.028 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Monroe
- When
- February 22, 9:29 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Monroe forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Coordinates
- 43.165, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Wayne
- When
- February 22, 9:29 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 43.066, -76.978 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern Cayuga
- When
- February 22, 11:08 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Cayuga forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 43.010, -76.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Oswego
- When
- February 22, 11:08 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Oswego forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Jefferson
- When
- February 22, 11:08 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Measured
- 58 kt (67 mph)
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Lewis
- When
- February 22, 11:08 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lewis forecast zone
- Measured
- 58 kt (67 mph)
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind, Monroe | 1997-02-22 | 54 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
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
- High Wind in New York, February 22, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Maine, February 22, 1997
- High Wind in New York, February 22, 1997
- High Wind in Vermont, February 22, 1997
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, February 22, 1997
- Damaging Wind in New York, February 22, 1997
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in New York, February 22, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Maine, February 22, 1997
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, February 22, 1997
- Lightning Strike in New York, February 22, 1997
- Flooding in Indiana, February 22 to 28, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, February 22, 1997
More
Every storm in New York in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, February 1997
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: 5588351, 5588352, 5588353, 5588354, 5588355, 5588356, 5588357, 5588358, 5588359, 5588360, 5588361, 5588362, 5588363, 5588364.