High Wind in New York, February 25 to 26, 2001

Name: High Wind in New York, February 25 to 26, 2001
Start: 2001-02-25T16:00
End: 2001-02-26T03:00
Location: New York

February 25 to 26, 2001 · NWS BUF · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Deep low pressure over the nothern Great Lakes moved northeast to Quebec and pulled a strong cold front across the area. The strong winds that accompanied the system downed trees and power lines.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $600,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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.

Deep low pressure over the nothern Great Lakes moved northeast to Quebec and pulled a strong cold front across the area. The strong winds that accompanied the system downed trees and power lines. Sustained winds of 46 mph were recorded at the Buffalo Airport and sustained 51 mph winds were reported at the Rochester Airport. Specific wind gusts reported were: 63 mph at Buffalo, Erie county; 58 mph at the Niagara Coast Guard, Youngstown, Niagara county; and 61 mph at Elma, Erie county.

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 Feb 25, 2:23 PM EST, 1 hour 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 2:23 PM EST, 1 hour 37 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
223 PM EST SUN FEB 25 2001

19Z SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOWING COLD FRONT CROSSING THE WESTERN END
OF LAKE ERIE. KCLE/KBUF RADARS SHOWING SCATTERED SHOWER ACTIVITY
BEGINNING TO DEVELOP ALONG FRONT.

FRONT WILL CROSS BUF/IAG AREAS BETWEEN 4 PM AND 6 PM...ROC AREA
BETWEEN 6 AND 8 PM AND EASTERN LAKE ONTARIO REGION BEFORE MIDNIGHT.
EXPECT SCATTERED RAIN SHOWER ACTIVITY TO AFFECT THE AREA WITH FRONTAL
PASSAGE. WINDS WILL SHIFT SOUTHWEST AND WILL INCREASE AS COLDER AIR
ADVECTS IN BEHIND FRONT. BUFKIT DATA SHOWING 50-60 KNOT WINDS AT 1K
FEET AND WILL NOT TAKE MUCH TO TRANSPORT THESE WINDS TO THE SURFACE.
PEAK WIND AT KDTW AT 1731Z 24052KT. WILL KEEP HIGH WIND WARNING/WIND
ADVISORIES IN PLACE THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT FOR WESTERN AREAS AND
THROUGH TONIGHT EASTERN SECTION. WINDS WILL DIMINISH SOME
OVERNIGHT...BUT STILL REMAIN RATHER GUSTY.

NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF PRECIPITATION BEHIND COLD FRONT. IF ANY
PRECIPITATION DOES DEVELOP IT WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT
AS COLDER AIR CONTINUES TO ADVECT INTO THE AREA.

BLUSTERY AND COLD DAY FOR MONDAY AS SECONDARY SURGE OF COLDER AIR
ARRIVES. COULD SEE SOME SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ACTIVITY IN COLD AIR
ADVECTION PATTERN. SOME MINOR LAKE EFFECT SETTING UP SOUTHEAST OF THE
LAKE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. AT THIS POINT...AMOUNTS DO NOT LOOK
SIGNIFICANT.

.BUF...HIGH WIND WARNING EARLY TONIGHT NYZ001>003-010>012-019-020
       WIND ADVISORY EARLY TONIGHT NYZ004-005-013-014-021
       WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT NYZ006>008

TMA

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Erie

When: February 25, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Erie forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Niagara

When: February 25, 6:00 PM EST
Where: Niagara forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.173, -78.691 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Monroe

When: February 25, 8:15 PM EST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.165, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Wyoming

When: February 25, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Wyoming forecast zone
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Chautauqua

When: February 26, 12:20 AM EST
Where: Chautauqua forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Genesee

When: February 26, 1:00 AM EST
Where: Genesee forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 43.001, -78.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Cattaraugus

When: February 26, 3:00 AM EST
Where: Cattaraugus forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 42.249, -78.679 (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 New York in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, February 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: 5233859, 5233860, 5233981, 5233982, 5233983, 5233984, 5233985.