Pennsylvania, 1997

High Wind in Pennsylvania, February 22, 1997

February 22, 1997 · NWS PBZ · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Strong westerly winds, behind a cold front that swept through western Pennsylvania around daybreak, downed several trees and caused some structural damage. Small pine trees were downed along Route 60 in Beaver and Allegheny County.

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.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$27,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 PBZ wrote it up.

Strong westerly winds, behind a cold front that swept through western Pennsylvania around daybreak, downed several trees and caused some structural damage. Small pine trees were downed along Route 60 in Beaver and Allegheny County. Two 45-foot-tall pine trees were uprooted in Aliquippa, Beaver County.A wind gust to 72 mph was recorded at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. Allegheny County Airport reported a gust to 52 mph. Also in Allegheny County, in Penn Hills, 2 homes sustained minor damage to soffit and fascia. In Cecil, Washington County, numerous trees and power lines were down. A roof was lifted off of a mobile home and a window was shattered. A bus shelter was toppled and damaged near the Washington County Courthouse. Other trees and power lines were also downed in Washington County. Numerous trees and utility lines were downed just west of Latrobe in Westmoreland County. Also in Westmoreland County, in Lower Burrell, siding and gutters were ripped from 2 homes and a small shed was destroyed.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Washington

When
February 22, 4:57 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Property damage
$16,000
Coordinates
40.189, -80.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Beaver

When
February 22, 4:57 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Beaver forecast zone
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
40.682, -80.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Allegheny

When
February 22, 5:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Allegheny forecast zone
Measured
63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage
$4,000
Coordinates
40.469, -79.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Westmoreland

When
February 22, 6:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Westmoreland forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000

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

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, 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: 5588336, 5588337, 5588339, 5588338.