Damaging Wind in New York, February 22, 1997

On February 22, an intense area of low pressure moved from northern Indiana northeast to the Saint Lawrence Valley. High winds associated with this system produced damage across much of eastern New York during the afternoon. Scattered thunderstorms also developed ahead of the cold front. These thunderstorms were severe in Herkimer, Hamilton and Schoharie Counties. In Herkimer County at Little Falls, thunderstorm winds flipped over a trailer and totally destroyed it. One women was trapped inside and sustained head and internal injuries. In Hamilton County at Indian Lake, severe thunderstorms produced winds estimated at 60 to 70 miles an hour. Numerous trees and power lines were ripped down and hail covered the ground. In Montgomery County at Saint Johnsville, lightning severely damaged a home. In Saratoga and Warren Counties, numerous trees were downed by the wind. In Warren County at Glens Falls and Warrensburg, damaging winds downed trees on several homes. State Highway 9N north of Corinth was closed for six hours due to downed trees and power lines. Also in Corinth a tree fell on a mobile home. At Union College in Schenectady, a 100 foot light pole was knocked over at the football field. Scattered power outages also occurred with the high winds. In Saratoga County over 2,500 customers lost power and across the Mid-Hudson valley approximately 6,500 customers lost power. In Ulster County, wires were downed by the wind in the Towns of Esopus, Lloyd and Shawangunk. At High Falls, two utility poles fell across State Highway 213. In Dutchess County, trees and wires were down in the the Villages of Millbrook, Red Hook and La Grange. In Albany County at Rensselaerville, a roof was torn off a barn. In Hamilton County at Lake Pleasant, a roof was blown off an industrial building. The southerly winds in advance of the cold front brought record breaking temperatures to many locations in the northeast. At the Albany County Airport, the mercury reached 68 degrees during the early afternoon. This was the warmest temperature ever observed in February. The old record for the month was 67 degrees set in 1976.