High Wind in Pennsylvania, February 22, 1997

Name: High Wind in Pennsylvania, February 22, 1997
Start: 1997-02-22T11:30
End: 1997-02-22T13:30
Location: Pennsylvania

February 22, 1997 · NWS BGM · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

2 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $90,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Bradford

When: February 22, 11:30 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
Where: Bradford forecast zone
Property damage: $90,000
Coordinates: 41.789, -76.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A very strong cold front swept through northeastern Pennsylvania during the midday hours of the 22nd. Strong winds aloft were transported down to the surface as the front neared the region. Numerous large trees were blown over in central portions of Bradford county near Towanda. In the town of Wysox just east of Towanda, a large drive-in theatre screen was dislodged by the winds. Some homes were also damaged from the falling trees. In Luzerne county, trees and power lines were knocked down countywide. A large billboard was also toppled across the southbound lanes of Interstate 81 in Hanover township.

High Wind, Luzerne

When: February 22, 12:00 PM EST to 1:30 PM EST
Where: Luzerne forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.177, -75.989 (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

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5595863, 5595864.