Damaging Winds in New York, August 7, 2001

Name: Damaging Winds in New York, August 7, 2001
Start: 2001-08-07T15:00
End: 2001-08-07T19:30
Location: New York

August 7, 2001 · NWS BUF · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Thunderstorms moved across the area during the evening hours. The thunderstorms produced damaging winds which downed trees and power lines.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: $30,000
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS BUF wrote it up.

Thunderstorms moved across the area during the evening hours. The thunderstorms produced damaging winds which downed trees and power lines. Power outages were reported in Wilson and Lewiston, Niagara county. In Olean, a large tree was blown down and crushed an auto parked nearby.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Buffalo, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 7, 12:50 PM EST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 7, 12:50 PM EST, 2 hours 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
150 PM EDT TUE AUG 7 2001

WEAK BOUNDARY EXTENDS FROM SRN MICH AND SRN ONTARIO ACROSS WRN NY TO
VT ATTM. PATCHY CLOUD AND VERY HUMID AIR LIE ACROSS REGION. FORECAST
PROBLEM IN THE SHORT TERM IS EXTENT OF CONVECTION FOR THE AFTERNOON
ALONG WITH EXCESSIVE HEAT INDICES. CAPES UP TO 3000 J/KG REQUIRE
JUST A SUBTLE TRIGGER TO GET THINGS GOING AND STRONG SW WIND
CREATING A GOOD SFC BOUNDARY ACROSS NIAG PEN AND NIAG CO SO WILL
HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON ACTIVITY REST OF AFTERNOON. ANY STORMS WILL
BE COPIOUS RAIN PRODUCERS WITH PCPBL WATER IN 2 INCH RANGE. TEMPS
REACHING LOW 90S COMBINING WITH MID 70S DEW PTS PRODUCING HEAT
INDICES IN 100-105 RANGE GEN VALLEY. NO ADVISORY BUT NOWCASTS HAVE
BEEN ISSUED TO NOTE THIS.

LONGER RANGE...HEAT TO CONTINUE ANOTHER 48-60 HOURS BEFORE SOME
RELIEF COMES ON FRIDAY. MID LAYERS WARM ON WEDNESDAY SO ATMOSPHERE
WILL BE WELL CAPPED. THIS SHOWS UP WELL WITH HIGH CINS ON BUFKIT ETA
PROG. 850S STAY IN +19 RANGE SO WLL CONTINUE TO GO A FEW DEG ABOVE
GUIDANCE (WHCH HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY TOO COOL IN THIS DROUGHT...ESP
MAVS) AND PLAY 90-95 ALL ZONES WED. GRADIENT A BIT WEAKER THAN TODAY
BUT STILL ENOUGH WESTERLY FOR COOLER IMMED BUF AREA. HUMIDITY LEVELS
WILL BE SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN TODAY BUT STILL MODERATE.

ETA SHOWS DECENT S/W DROPPING SE ACROSS ONTARIO TO ST LAWR VALLEY
LATE WED NT SO WILL INCL A 30 POP TSTM LATE OVER JEFF/LEWIS. REST OF
AREA JUST WARM AND DRY.

THURSDAY HAS POTENTIAL TO BE AN EXTREMELY WARM DAY. UPPER RIDGE
CRESTS OVER REGION WITH 850S IN 20-22C RANGE. 2M TEMPS ON BUFKIT
ETA GIVE 96 AT ROC WITH AVN FORECAST SOUNDING NEAR 98. WITH DEW PTS
BACK NEAR 70 HEAT INDICES COULD TOP 105. CAPES GET HIGH LATE IN DAY
BUT DONT EXPECT ANY ACTIVITY TILL NEAR SUNSET SO WILL GO WITH
CONTINUITY AND KEEP DAY DRY AND BRING IN TSTMS THURS NT. WILL GO
WITH MID 90S MOST INTERIOR SECTIONS...M-U 90S ROC AREA. BUF AREA
AGAIN WILL ESCAPE WORST AS SW FLOW PICKS UP AGAIN OFF LAKE. 90-95
ERIE CO BUT M-U 80S NEAR LAKE.

FYI...RECORDS FOR WED AND THURS: ROC 96(1930) AND 98(1949). BUF
93(1934) AND 95(1914).

EXTENDED...BIG CHANGES COMING. SHARP COLD FRONT PASSES ON FRI WITH
BEST CHANCE OF WIDESPREAD SHWRS AND TSTMS IN MANY WEEKS. COOLER AND
PLEASANT WEEKEND...ANOTHER FRONT MONDAY THEN EVEN COOLER MIDWEEK.

HYDROWISE...REGION REMAINS PARCHED..ESPECIALLY IN WEST. LATEST
PALMER INDICES ALONG LAKE PLAIN ARE -4.1 LONG TERM AND -2.7 SHORT
TERM...INDICATING SEVERE DROUGHT. ANY RAIN TODAY WILL BE FAIRLY
ISOLATED. NEXT CHANCE OF ANY REAL RELIEF WOULD BE FRIDAY AS STRONGER
FRONT DROPS THRU. DETAILED DROUGHT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED ON WED.

THATS IT FROM THE MUGGY BUF THIS AFTERNOON. WRKZONES AVAIL BY 3.
FINALS BY 330. TAKE IT EASY.

.BUF...NONE.

MCLAUGHLIN

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Niagara

When: August 7, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Niagara County, Wilson
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.300, -78.833

Thunderstorm Wind, Cattaraugus

When: August 7, 7:30 PM EST
Where: Cattaraugus County, Olean
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 42.083, -78.433

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New York in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, August 2001

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: 5264475, 5264476.