Damaging Wind and High Wind in New York, March 9, 2002

Name: Damaging Wind and High Wind in New York, March 9, 2002
Start: 2002-03-09T19:02
End: 2002-03-09T23:50
Location: New York

March 9, 2002 · NWS BUF · 17 events in 16 counties and zones

Low pressure over Wisconsin deepened as it moved across Lake Superior and into northern Ontario. Strong winds accompanied and followed the passage of a cold front.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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: $3.2 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 17

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 Wisconsin deepened as it moved across Lake Superior and into northern Ontario. Strong winds accompanied and followed the passage of a cold front. The damaging winds affected the entire area, downing trees and power lines and causing some structural damage. Nearly 100,000 customers completely lost power with thousands others experiencing brief power outages. In Rochester, a roof was blown off a building supply store. In Groveland, a vehicle was towing a 17' sailboat on I-390 when the boat and trailer were overturned by the wind. In Portage, a train struck a tree that had fallen across the tracks. The train was damaged and could not continue. In Mendon, a two-story, 100-year-old barn was pushed over. In Lyndonville, a recreational trailer dealer sustained damage to a third of the inventory.

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 9, 10:50 AM EST, 8 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 9, 10:50 AM EST, 8 hours 12 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1050 AM EST SAT MAR 9 2002

WILL BE ISSUING AN UPDATE MAINLY TO REFRESH WIND WORDING BASED ON
CURRENT OBSERVATIONS...AND ADJUST TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR THIS
AFTERNOON. CURRENT SATELLITE LOOP INDICATES PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY
SKIES OVER THE CWA...WITH THICKENING CLOUDS JUST OFF TO OUR WEST
AHEAD OF THE SHARP COLD FRONT. BASED ON CURRENT TRENDS...I EXPECT
THE SUN TO GRADUALLY DISAPPEAR BEHIND THICKENING CLOUDS OVER THE
WESTERN ZONES THIS AFTERNOON AS THE FRONT APPROACHES...WITH SKIES
REMAINING PARTLY SUNNY FOR THE MOST PART FROM THE ROCHESTER
AREA/GENESEE VALLEY EASTWARD. BECAUSE OF THE GREATER AMOUNT OF SUN
IN THESE AREAS...I WILL BUMP UP THE TEMP FORECAST TO AROUND 70 OR SO
FOR THIS AFTERNOON...65-70 SHOULD WORK OVER THE WESTERN ZONES WITH
THE THICKENING CLOUD COVER.

THE REST OF THE FORECAST LOOKS IN GOOD SHAPE...SO OTHER THAN SOME
MINOR WORDING TWEAKS IN THE 3RD/4TH PERIODS IN A FEW ZONES...NO
OTHER CHANGES WILL BE MADE AT THIS TIME. ZONES TO HIT THE HIGHWAY
SHORTLY.

ENJOY THE WARM WEATHER WHILE IT LASTS

.BUF...HIGH WIND WARNING THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT
           NYZ001>008-010>014-019>021
       LAKE EFFECT SNOW WATCH FOR LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY
           NYZ010-011-019-020-006>008

JJR

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:22 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 high wind, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Chautauqua

When: March 9, 7:02 PM EST
Where: Chautauqua forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Niagara

When: March 9, 7:16 PM EST
Where: Niagara forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.173, -78.691 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Erie

When: March 9, 7:22 PM EST
Where: Erie forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Genesee

When: March 9, 7:55 PM EST
Where: Genesee forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 43.001, -78.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Wyoming

When: March 9, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Wyoming forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When: March 9, 8:20 PM EST
Where: Monroe County, Webster
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.217, -77.433

High Wind, Wayne

When: March 9, 8:45 PM EST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.066, -76.978 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Orleans

When: March 9, 8:46 PM EST
Where: Orleans forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.251, -78.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Monroe

When: March 9, 8:50 PM EST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 43.165, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Allegany

When: March 9, 9:30 PM EST
Where: Allegany forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.257, -78.028 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Ontario

When: March 9, 9:45 PM EST
Where: Ontario forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.853, -77.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Livingston

When: March 9, 10:00 PM EST
Where: Livingston forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.728, -77.775 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Oswego

When: March 9, 10:30 PM EST
Where: Oswego forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Cayuga

When: March 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Cayuga forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.010, -76.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lewis

When: March 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Lewis forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Jefferson

When: March 9, 11:10 PM EST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Cattaraugus

When: March 9, 11:50 PM EST
Where: Cattaraugus forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
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.
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.

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: 5285371, 5285372, 5285408, 5285409, 5285410, 5285370, 5285411, 5285412, 5285413, 5285414, 5285415, 5285416, 5285417, 5285418, 5285419, 5285420, 5285421.