High Wind in Pennsylvania, October 16, 2001

Name: High Wind in Pennsylvania, October 16, 2001
Start: 2001-10-16T12:30
End: 2001-10-16T20:00
Location: Pennsylvania

October 16, 2001 · NWS CLE · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

An area of strong low pressure moved northeast across the Great Lakes region. Strong northwest winds behind the low caused damage over portions of Northwest Pennsylvania.

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.

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: $40,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 CLE wrote it up.

An area of strong low pressure moved northeast across the Great Lakes region. Strong northwest winds behind the low caused damage over portions of Northwest Pennsylvania. A 63 mph wind gust was measured at the Fairport Harbor lighthouse (Erie County). Many trees were downed in Erie and Crawford counties. Scattered power outages also occurred.

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 Cleveland, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 16, 11:55 AM EST, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 16, 11:55 AM EST, 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
1250 AM EDT TUE OCT 16 2001

IN AREA OF PARTIAL CLEARING EAST OF THE LOW A NUMBER OF REPORTS OF
WINDS GUSTING INTO THE LOWER TO MID 40S.  HAVE EXTENDED WIND
ADVISORY EAST ACROSS ENTIRE CWA...AND EXTENDED UNTIL 7 PM.

200 AM DISCUSSION
ALL MDLS IN PRETTY GOOD AGRMNT AT UPR LVLS WITH MAJOR S/W DIGGING
INTO MS VLY ATTM THEN SWINGING OUT TO NE AND OVR CWA DURG DAY. SFC
FEATURES IN SYNC WITH UPR SYS WITH SFC LOW PROJECTED TO TRACK ACROSS
CWA LT MRNG AND AFTN. UPR TROF SWINGS CLEAR OF CWA WED AM WITH
DETERIORATING UPR RDG LAYING OVR THE AREA WED NGT. SFC FEATURES ECHO
THE UPR FEATURES WITH SFC RDG NOSING INTO LWR LKS ON WED AND
STRENGTHENING WED NGT. TDA A SURE BET FOR PCPN AS WELL AS ERN 1/2 TO
2/3 CWA TNGT. TIMING FOR CUTTING OFF PCPN WL BE A BIT TUFF. CYC
CIRLN AND CAA WL BE TUFF TO SHUT OFF ERN SXNS WITH NW WNDS COMING
OFF THE LAKE. WRN CWA WL PRBBLY CUT OFF LATER TNGT AND PSBLY MENTION
A FEW COLD AIR INSTABILITY SHWRS PSBL ON WED. CURRENT FCST HAS CAT
POPS ERN SXNS ON WED AND MAY TRIM THIS BACK TO HIGH LKLY POPS. SAME
AREA HAS MENTION OF CHC WED NGT WITH PSBL MXTR OF WET SNOW. WL
PRBBLY CONT THIS SCENARIO...EVEN THO THE BRUNT OF THE MN MSTR
ALREADY PULLED OUT. TMPS WL BE TRICKY TDA AND TNGT. GUID NUMBERS IN
FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT TDA SO WONT STRAY BY TOO MUCH. FAN NUMBERS
CONT TO BE A TAD COOLER THAN NGM. WL PRBBLY STAY PRETTY CLOSE TO
NGM.

.CLE...
OH...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT
PA...GALE WARNING LERI LATE TUES AND TUES NIGHT.

VRCEK

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Crawford

When: October 16, 12:30 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.685, -80.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Erie

When: October 16, 12:30 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.118, -80.098 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Erie

When: October 16, 12:30 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.118, -80.098 (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 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, October 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5271401, 5271402, 5271403.