High Wind, Wyoming
- When
- February 27, 10:30 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Wyoming forecast zone
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Coordinates
- 42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in New York, February 27, 1997
Deep low pressure moved from Indiana to Ontario bringing high winds to the area. The strong winds downed trees and telephone and power lines.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
- 9
- Property damage
- $1.2 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 16
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.
Deep low pressure moved from Indiana to Ontario bringing high winds to the area. The strong winds downed trees and telephone and power lines. Power outages were reported throughout the area. Several cities and towns declared States of Emergency because of the prolonged lack of power. Windows were blown out of buildings. The strong winds caused structure damage in some locations tearing off roofs and sidings and collapsing walls. Homes and autos were damaged by falling limbs. Air travel at the Buffalo airport was disrupted and several flights were rerouted. An electric lineman was injured in Perinton, Monroe County, when he was knocked from a pole by a falling tree. In Grand Island, Erie County, three people suffered cuts from flying glass when a plate glass window was blown in at an ice cream shop. In Lockport, Niagara County, two teenage boys were injured when they were struck by a falling tree. Tractor trailers were blown over in Batavia, Brighton, Grand Island and Darien. The drivers of those trucks suffered minor injuries. Specific gusts reported included: 70 knots at Niagara Falls, 65 knots at Rochester, and 50 knots at Batavia
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
16 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Jefferson
- When
- February 27, 1:30 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Coordinates
- 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern Erie
- When
- February 27, 1:40 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Erie forecast zone
- Injuries
- 4 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Coordinates
- 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Lewis
- When
- February 27, 2:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lewis forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Niagara
- When
- February 27, 2:20 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Niagara forecast zone
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 43.173, -78.691 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Cattaraugus
- When
- February 27, 2:30 PM EST to 6:00 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, Chautauqua
- When
- February 27, 3:10 PM EST to 6:00 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, Genesee
- When
- February 27, 3:15 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Genesee forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 43.001, -78.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Orleans
- When
- February 27, 3:30 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Orleans forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 43.251, -78.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern Cayuga
- When
- February 27, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 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, Livingston
- When
- February 27, 4:15 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Livingston forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 42.728, -77.775 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Oswego
- When
- February 27, 4:20 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
- Where
- Oswego forecast zone
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Coordinates
- 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Allegany
- When
- February 27, 4:30 PM EST to 7:00 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 27, 4:53 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Monroe forecast zone
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph)
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Coordinates
- 43.165, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Wayne
- When
- February 27, 4:53 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Measured
- 64 kt (74 mph)
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 43.066, -76.978 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Ontario
- When
- February 27, 5:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Ontario forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 42.853, -77.300 (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
- Dense Fog in New York, February 27, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, February 27, 1997
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, February 27, 1997
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, February 27, 1997
- Flash Flood in Ohio, February 27, 1997
- Flood in Ohio, February 27, 1997
- Flash Flood in Ohio, February 27, 1997
- Flood in Ohio, February 27 to 28, 1997
- High Wind in Michigan, February 27, 1997
- Flooding in Indiana, February 27 to 28, 1997
- Flood in Ohio, February 27 to 28, 1997
- Flooding in Georgia, February 27 to 28, 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: 5588558, 5588554, 5588556, 5588555, 5588365, 5588562, 5588561, 5588557, 5588549, 5588552, 5588559, 5588553, 5588563, 5588550, 5588551, 5588560.