Name: Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, September 3, 2002
Start: 2002-09-03T15:45
End: 2002-09-03T17:36
Location: Pennsylvania

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $12,000
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 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 Sep 3, 3:25 PM EST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 3, 3:25 PM EST, 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
425 PM EDT TUE SEP 3 2002

UPDATED ZFP FOR SPC WATCH IN OH AND N PAN OF WV.

.PBZ...
MD...NONE.
OH...NONE.
PA...NONE.
WV...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 3, 11:23 AM EST, 4 hours 22 minutes before

PAZ007>009-013>016-020-032200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1223 PM EDT TUE SEP 3 2002

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM EDT TUESDAY EVENING
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN PENNSYLVANIA...

  BEAVER          BUTLER          CLARION         FOREST
  JEFFERSON       LAWRENCE        MERCER          VENANGO

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE. IF SEVERE WEATHER BECOMES
CERTAIN...WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED.

Special weather statement, Sep 3, 2:44 PM EST, 1 hour 1 minute before

OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-WVZ001>004-040100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
344 PM EDT TUE SEP 3 2002

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT TUESDAY EVENING
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN WEST VIRGINIA...

  BROOKE          HANCOCK         MARSHALL        OHIO

IN OHIO...

  BELMONT         CARROLL         COLUMBIANA      COSHOCTON
  GUERNSEY        HARRISON        JEFFERSON       MONROE
  MUSKINGUM       NOBLE           TUSCARAWAS

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE. IF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS BECOME
CERTAIN...WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED.

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:42 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mercer

When: September 3, 3:45 PM EST
Where: Mercer County, Fredonia
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.333, -80.267

Thunderstorm winds downed a few large trees and power lines.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence

When: September 3, 5:36 PM EST
Where: Lawrence County, 3 mi E of Ellwood City
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.867, -80.233

Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees along State Route 288.

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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, September 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: 5316478, 5316479.