High Wind in New York, December 12, 2000

An area of low pressure developed across the Tennessee Valley late on December 11th. The storm then rapidly deepened as it moved northeast into the Ohio Valley, Saint Lawrence Valley and eventually across the Canadian Maritimes on December 12th. The pressure difference between this intensifying storm and large arctic high pressure building over the Southeast, produced a significant high wind event across eastern New York on December 12th. The strongest winds with the storm came after the passage of the cold front, during the morning hours. A strong westerly wind brought down large limbs, trees, and powerlines in just about every county in Eastern New York. Many signs were reported blown down along the Andirondack Northway from the Essex/Warren county line, south to its terminus in the town of Guilderland. In addition, there were reports of scattered structural damage. In Saratoga county, high winds smashed windows in a restaurant in downtown Saratoga Springs. Another restaurant had a portion of its roof ripped off in that town. A 60-foot Norwegian pine fell across Route 50 blocking traffic in Balston Spa. The tree fell onto a car, trapping a woman inside for nearly an hour while fire personnel worked to move the live wires away from the car. The passenger was not injured. The winds took down a portion of a block wall under construction at a new Staples store in Queensbury, Warren county. Damage in Fulton county included windows being blown out of buildings in the city of Gloversville. Also, gas pumps were blown over in Johnstown and the skirting blown off trailers in Oppenheim. The winds severely damaged a large shopping window in downtown Little Falls, Herkimer county. In Montgomery county, roofs were blown off homes in the town of Paletine, and in the town of Canajoharie. Also, signs were blown off buildings in Amsterdam. In Albany county, the most numerous downed wires and trees were reported in Delmar, Slingerlands, Bethlehem and Voorheesville. Elsewhere, a downed limb punctured the roof of a house located in Cohoes. A roof was blown off a trailer in Dover Plains, Dutchess county. In Schenectady county, Route 147 at West Glennville Road was temporarily closed due to a large pine tree down on power lines. Power lines and trees were blown down on Wood Road in the town of Easton, Washington county. The glass from windows was sucked out of the Wells Central School in Hamilton county. Officially the strongest wind gust during the event was 54 mph at Albany International Airport. However, weather spotters reported wind gusts to 61 mph in Summit, Schoharie county and 62 mph at Amsterdam in Montgomery county , respectively. During the height of the storm, an estimated 22,000 customers were without power across eastern New York. There were no casualties reported to the National Weather Service, as a result of the high winds.