High Wind, Chautauqua
- When
- May 1, 9:15 AM EST
- Where
- Chautauqua forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Coordinates
- 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in New York, May 1, 1997
Low pressure moving across Ontario brought strong southwest winds to the extreme western counties of New York. The high winds toppled trees and power lines causing scattered power outages throughout the area.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
- $65,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
Low pressure moving across Ontario brought strong southwest winds to the extreme western counties of New York. The high winds toppled trees and power lines causing scattered power outages throughout the area. Minor structure damage was caused by the falling trees in Jamestown, Buffalo and Lockport.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Niagara
- When
- May 1, 12:43 PM EST
- Where
- Niagara forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 43.173, -78.691 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Erie
- When
- May 1, 12:48 PM EST
- Where
- Erie forecast zone
- Measured
- 53 kt (61 mph)
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Coordinates
- 42.758, -78.780 (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
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 1 to 29, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 1, 1997
- Lightning Strike in New Jersey, May 1, 1997
- Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Flooding in Idaho, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Ohio, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Flooding in Montana, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 1, 1997
- Flooding in Louisiana, May 1 to 9, 1997
- Flooding in Texas, May 1 to 9, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, May 1, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Tennessee, May 1, 1997
More
Every storm in New York in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, May 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: 5597750, 5597751, 5597752.