New York, 2002

High Wind in New York, February 1, 2002

February 1, 2002 · NWS BGM · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A strong intensifying storm moved across Lake Ontario and down the Saint Lawrence valley on the first day of February. West winds behind a trailing cold front gusted to around 60 mph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 BGM wrote it up.

A strong intensifying storm moved across Lake Ontario and down the Saint Lawrence valley on the first day of February. West winds behind a trailing cold front gusted to around 60 mph. Oneida County had the most damage with numerous trees and power lines down. The winds were helped by trees and wires covered in ice and wet snow, especially in Oneida County. In addition the ground was wet from the winter storm earlier that day and the day before. Numerous power outages were reported across the entire area. At the Syracuse Hancock Field, ASOS reported a peak wind gust of 59 mph at 4:57 PM. The wind was measured at 60 mph in Addison in Steuben 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 Binghamton, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 1, 9:20 AM EST, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 1, 9:20 AM EST, 3 hours 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY
920 AM EST FRI FEB 1 2002

WILL HOIST HIGH WIND WARNINGS FOR NRN AND WRN COUNTIES AND WIND
ADVISORIES FOR THE REST OF THE CWA. DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE WILL
TRACK NE DOWN THE ST LAWERENCE VALLEY BY TONIGHT. ISALLOBARIO
PRESSURE RISES OF ALMOST 20 MB/6HR PASS JUST N OF LAKE ONTARIO BY
LATE EVENING. WINDS WILL INCREASE DRAMATICALLY ONCE THE FRNT PASSES
BY FROM MID AFTRN TO ERLY EVENING. BUFKIT PROFILES SHOW MAJOR LL
INSTABILITY IN A STRG CAA PATTERN WITH WINDS TO 50 KTS BELOW THE
INV. MOMENTUM XFER ON BUFKIT SUGGESTS WARNING CRITERIA WIND GUSTS
N AND W OF A CORNING TO UTICA LINE W/ ADVY CRITERIA WINDS TO THE S
AND E. WILL HV ALL WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES LAST UNTIL TONIGHT.

ALSO WILL REMOVE MOST FREEZING PRECIP FROM ZONES AS HEAVIER SHWRS
MOVG IN WILL TRANSPORT ABV FRZG AIR DOWN TO THE GRND.

WORK ZONES BEFORE 10 AM AND ZONES B4 1015 AM.

.BGM...HIGH WIND WARNING N AND W OF A CORNING TO UTICA LINE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
       WIND ADVY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING REST OF CWA.
NICOSIA

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Northern Oneida

When
February 1, 1:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Oneida forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.242, -75.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Oneida

When
February 1, 1:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Oneida forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.242, -75.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Onondaga

When
February 1, 1:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Onondaga forecast zone
Measured
59 kt (68 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.006, -76.195 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Steuben

When
February 1, 1:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Steuben forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
42.268, -77.384 (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

More

Every storm in New York in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, February 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: 5281140, 5281141, 5281142, 5281143.