Thunderstorm Wind, Garrett
- When
- March 9, 8:45 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
- Where
- Garrett County, Countywide
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.567, -79.250
Damaging Wind and High Wind in Maryland, March 9 to 10, 2002
A deepening area of low pressure moving eastward across the northern Great Lakes swept a strong cold front across western Maryland during the late afternoon/early evening hours of the 9th. This intensifying low produced a large area of strong low-level winds, both ahead of and behind the cold front, with winds between 70 - 80 MPH present just a few thousand feet off the surface by the…
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $20,000
- 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 PBZ wrote it up.
A deepening area of low pressure moving eastward across the northern Great Lakes swept a strong cold front across western Maryland during the late afternoon/early evening hours of the 9th. This intensifying low produced a large area of strong low-level winds, both ahead of and behind the cold front, with winds between 70 - 80 MPH present just a few thousand feet off the surface by the mid-afternoon hours. As showers formed during the day, these strong winds were occasionally brought down to the surface. To further complicate matters, by the late afternoon hours enough instability was present to produce a line of severe thunderstorms along the main cold front as it entered western Maryland. This combination of strong gradient winds and severe thunderstorm winds produced widespread damage across the area, mostly in the form of downed trees and power lines. These high winds continued after the cold frontal passage, downing trees and power lines, until the early morning hours of the 10th. At that time, the surface low moved off into Quebec and the strong gradient winds finally diminished.
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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 9, 7:40 PM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 9, 7:40 PM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION -UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
740 PM AM EST SAT MAR 9 2002
WILL UPDATE ZONE FORECAST BY AROUND 830 PM TO DISCONTINUE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH. BY THEN EXPECT SQUALL LINE...MOVING EAST AT 40
KNOTS...WILL HAVE EXITED THE HEAD OF THE OHIO REGION...INTO THE
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS. WILL KEEP HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 AM SUNDAY
AS PRESSURE RISES OF AS MUCH AS 12 MB ACROSS CENTRAL OHIO AND
SURFACE WIND GUSTS OF OVER 40 KNOTS. BESIDES WIND PROBLEMS...THERE
CAN BE SLIPPERY SPOTS DEVELOPING AFTER MIDNIGHT...AS TEMPERATURES GO
QUICKLY BELOW FREEZING...CONVERTING WET SPOTS INTO ICY ONES.
FLURRIES WILL ADD MINIMAL ACCUMULATION. REST UNCHANGED. ...GIORDANO
.PBZ...
MD...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4AM SUNDAY
MDZ001.
OH...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4AM SUNDAY
OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069.
PA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4AM SUNDAY
PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-029>032.
WV...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4AM SUNDAY
WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041.In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 2:46 PM EST, 5 hours 59 minutes before
100000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 246 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EST SATURDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... COSHOCTON...MUSKINGUM...TUSCARAWAS...GUERNSEY...NOBLE. DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS WINDS OF OVER 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. WHEN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THREATEN...SEEK SHELTER INDOORS. STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 5:01 PM EST, 3 hours 44 minutes before
OHZ039>041-049-050-058-059-068-069-WVZ001>004-012-100000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 501 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 ...DAMAGING WINDS WILL AFFECT THE AREA... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE WINDS OF UP TO 80 MILES AN HOUR ACROSS EAST CENTRAL OHIO, AND THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. THESE STORMS WILL SWEEP INTO TUSCARAWAS, GUERNSEY, AND NOBLE COUNTIES AROUND 5:30 PM. CARROLL, HARRISON, BELMONT, AND MONROE COUNTIES AROUND 6 PM. AND THEN INTO COLUMBIANA, JEFFERSON, HANCOCK, BROOKE, OHIO, AND MARSHALL COUNTIES BY 630 PM. YOU SHOULD SECURE LOOSE ITEMS IMMEDIATELY. WHEN THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES, MOVE INDOORS. ALSO, BE PREPARED FOR POWER OUTAGES. AFTER THE LINE OF VERY WINDY STORMS MOVES THROUGH, WEST WINDS WILL STILL GUST TO 40 MILES AN HOUR DURING THE EVENING HOURS, AND TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY DROP INTO THE 30S. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL EARLY THIS EVENING, AND A HIGH WIND WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 5:01 PM EST, 3 hours 44 minutes before
OHZ039>041-049-050-058-059-068-069-WVZ001>004-012-100000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 501 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 ...DAMAGING WINDS WILL AFFECT THE AREA... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE WINDS OF UP TO 80 MILES AN HOUR ACROSS EAST CENTRAL OHIO, AND THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. THESE STORMS WILL SWEEP INTO TUSCARAWAS, GUERNSEY, AND NOBLE COUNTIES AROUND 5:30 PM. CARROLL, HARRISON, BELMONT, AND MONROE COUNTIES AROUND 6 PM. AND THEN INTO COLUMBIANA, JEFFERSON, HANCOCK, BROOKE, OHIO, MARSHALL, AND WETZEL COUNTIES BY 630 PM. YOU SHOULD SECURE LOOSE ITEMS IMMEDIATELY. WHEN THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES, MOVE INDOORS. ALSO, BE PREPARED FOR POWER OUTAGES. AFTER THE LINE OF VERY WINDY STORMS MOVES THROUGH, WEST WINDS WILL STILL GUST TO 40 MILES AN HOUR DURING THE EVENING HOURS, AND TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY DROP INTO THE 30S. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL EARLY THIS EVENING, AND A HIGH WIND WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 5:20 PM EST, 3 hours 25 minutes before
100300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 520 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EST SATURDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... IN EASTERN OHIO... COLUMBIANA...CARROLL...JEFFERSON...HARRISON...BELMONT...MONROE. IN NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA... HANCOCK...BROOKE...OHIO...MARSHALL...WETZEL...MONONGALIA... MARION...PRESTON...TUCKER. IN WESTERN MARYLAND... GARRETT. IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... ALLEGHENY...ARMSTRONG...BEAVER...BUTLER...CLARION...FAYETTE... FOREST...GREENE...INDIANA...JEFFERSON...LAWRENCE...MERCER... VENANGO...WASHINGTON...WESTMORELAND. DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS OF OVER 60 MPH...MAYBE EVEN 80 MPH ...CAN OCCUR THIS EVENING.
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 5:39 PM EST, 3 hours 6 minutes before
MDZ001-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-029>032-WVZ021>023-041-100230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 539 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 ...DAMAGING WINDS WILL AFFECT THE AREA... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE WINDS OF UP TO 80 MILES AN HOUR ACROSS WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA, AND WESTERN MARYLAND. THESE STORMS WILL SWEEP INTO MERCER, LAWRENCE, BEAVER, WASHINGTON, AND GREEN COUNTIES AROUND 6:30 PM. VENANGO, BUTLER, ALLEGHENY, MONONGALIA, AND MARION COUNTIES AROUND 7 TO 7:30 PM. THIS INCLUDES PITTSBURGH. AND THEN INTO FOREST, CLARION, JEFFERSON, ARMSTRONG, INDIANA, WESTMORELAND, FAYETTE, PRESTON, TUCKER, AND GARRETT AROUND 7:30 OR 8 PM. THE HIGH WINDS HAVE PRODUCED WIDESPREAD DAMAGE ACROSS OHIO. YOU SHOULD SECURE LOOSE ITEMS IMMEDIATELY. WHEN THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES, MOVE INDOORS. ALSO, BE PREPARED FOR POWER OUTAGES. AFTER THE LINE OF VERY WINDY STORMS MOVES THROUGH, WEST WINDS WILL STILL GUST TO 40 MILES AN HOUR DURING THE EVENING HOURS, AND TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY DROP INTO THE 30S. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL EARLY THIS EVENING, AND A HIGH WIND WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.
The radar
The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 135 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:44 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Garrett
- When
- March 9, 9:00 PM EST to March 10, 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Garrett forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
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.
- 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
- High Wind in Illinois, March 9, 2002
- High Wind in Ohio, March 9 to 10, 2002
- High Wind in Ohio, March 9, 2002
- Blizzard in Minnesota, March 9, 2002
- High Wind in Iowa, March 9, 2002
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, March 9, 2002
- Damaging Wind and High Wind in New York, March 9, 2002
- High Wind in Michigan, March 9 to 10, 2002
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in Pennsylvania, March 9 to 10, 2002
- High Wind in Michigan, March 9, 2002
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in Ohio, March 9, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, March 9, 2002
More
Every storm in Maryland in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, March 2002
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: 5287232, 5287233.