High Wind in New York, March 3, 2002

Name: High Wind in New York, March 3, 2002
Start: 2002-03-03T11:00
End: 2002-03-03T16:00
Location: New York

March 3, 2002 · NWS BUF · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Low pressure over Indiana deepened as it moved northeast. The strong southwest flow was funneled up the length of Lake Erie and produced damage across the Niagara Frontier.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: $400,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

Low pressure over Indiana deepened as it moved northeast. The strong southwest flow was funneled up the length of Lake Erie and produced damage across the Niagara Frontier. Trees and power lines were downed. Structural damage was also reported in Erie and Niagara Counties.

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 Mar 3, 9:50 AM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 3, 9:50 AM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
950 AM EST SUN MAR 3 2002

CURRENT FCST IN GOOD SHAPE...WILL UPDATE ONLY FOR MINOR WORDING AND
TIMING. 993 MB LOW HAS LIFTED NORTH OF GEORGIAN BAY...A BIT FASTER
AND FURTHER NORTH THAN PROGGED YESTERDAY. THIS MAY HAVE IMPLICATIONS
ON OUR HIGH WIND POTENTIAL THIS AFTERNOON.

COLD FRONT HAS TEMPORARILY SLOWED A BIT...JUST PASSED ROC AND GEN
VALLEY ATTM. AREA OF SHOWERS HAS BROKEN OUT ALONG AND BEHIND THE SFC
FRONT...IN ASSOC WITH LFQ OF 500 MB JET STREAK WHICH WILL LIFT OUT
ACROSS CNTRL NY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THESE SHOWERS WILL HOLD ON
THRU ABOUT MIDDAY OVER WRN AREAS AND WILL LET NOWCASTS ACCOUNT FOR
THEM. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SOME LIMITED CONVECTION OVER OUR
ERNMOST COUNTIES AS SKIES HAVE CLEARED A BIT AND TEMPS WELL INTO 50S
WITH DEW PTS NEARLY AS HIGH..WILL KEEP AN EYE ON NEXT FEW HOURS IN
FINGER LAKES AREA. FOR NOW WILL MENTION SHOWERS ENDING DURING
AFTERNOON ROC AND EAST...AND BRING SCT SNOW SHOWERS INTO FAR WEST
LATE PM.

AS FOR WINDS AND TEMPS...06Z MESOETA PARAMETERS ON BUFKIT DO SHOW A
NOSE OF 45-50 KT WINDS DROPPING DOWN TO ABOUT 2K FT AT TIME OF BEST
ISALLOBARIC RISES AROUND 20Z AT BUF AND 22Z ROC AND 00Z ART. THIS
WOULD BE OUR THREAT OF STRONGEST WINDS. THIS WILL ALSO BE JUST AHEAD
OF MAIN SFC TROF WHICH WILL CROSS AREA EARLY THIS EVENING. THIS IS
NOT THE BEST SITUATION FOR REALLY STRONG WINDS HERE AS TROF IS A BIT
TOO AMPLIFIED AND LOW A BIT TOO FAR AWAY AND MOVING MORE NNE RATHER
THAN ENE...BUT DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE IN TAKING DOWN WARNING AS WE
SHOULD GET AT LEAST A FEW GUSTS OVER 55 MPH WITH BOOST FROM LK ERIE
FUNNELING...SO WILL LEAVE UP FOR THE AFTERNOON. SAME WITH ADVIS
AREAS BUT WILL PLAY WINDS AT MINIMAL ADVIS LEVEL.

THEN WE HAVE THE LAKE EFFECT CONCERN TONIGHT THRU MONDAY NIGHT.
PARAMETERS FAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT ON 260 WIND LATER THIS EVE AND
THEN STRONG OVERNIGHT ON A 270-280 FLOW WITH LOW SHEAR AND RISING
EQUIL LEVELS ALONG WITH INCREASING DELTA-TS. THIS WOULD FAVOR SKI
COUNTRY OF SRN ERIE/WYO/N CHAUT/N CATT COS OFF ERIE AND TUG HILL
INTO OSW COUNTY OFF ONTARIO. CURRENT WATCH OK...MAY NEED TO LOOK AT
SRN ERIE/WYO TOO. ACTIVITY CONTINUES MONDAY AND LIFTS NORTH LATER IN
DAY...BUT MARCH SUN MAY WORK AGAINST ORGANIZATION. INCREASING SHEAR
ON LK ONTARIO BAND AS WELL. ACTIVITY MAY REORGANIZE AGAIN MON NT AND
EARLY TUES ON SW FLOW AHEAD OF TROF...MORE ON THAT THIS AFTERNOON.

THATS IT FROM THE BUF THIS MORNING. UPDATED WRKZONES GONE. FINALS BY
1010. TAKE IT EASY.

.BUF...HIGH WIND WARNING THIS AFTRNOON NYZ001>003-010-011.
       WIND ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON NYZ004>006-012>014-019>021.
       WIND ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING NYZ007-008.
       LAKE EFFECT SNOW WATCH TONIGHT/MONDAY NYZ019-020-005-006

MCLAUGHLIN

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Niagara

When: March 3, 11:00 AM EST
Where: Niagara forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 43.173, -78.691 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Erie

When: March 3, 2:55 PM EST
Where: Erie forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Orleans

When: March 3, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Orleans forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 43.251, -78.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Genesee

When: March 3, 3:30 PM EST
Where: Genesee forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 43.001, -78.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Monroe

When: March 3, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 43.165, -77.636 (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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, 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: 5285422, 5285423, 5285424, 5285425, 5285426.