High Wind, Hancock
- When
- March 8, 9:50 PM EST
- Where
- Hancock forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.522, -80.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in West Virginia, March 8, 2003
High winds blew down trees and power lines in Newell, Dallas, Moundsville, Hundred, Worthington, and Kingwood.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 6
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.
High winds blew down trees and power lines in Newell, Dallas, Moundsville, Hundred, Worthington, and Kingwood.
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 8, 9:22 PM EST, 28 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 8, 9:22 PM EST, 28 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTION TO PA HI WIND WARNING COUNTIES NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 922 PM EST SAT MAR 8 2003 GETTING REPORTS OF DOWNED TREES NORTHERN TIER OF COUNTIES AS FIRST LINE COMES THROUGH. HAVE UPGRADED TO HI WIND WARNING NORTHERN TIERS. WILL KEEP REST OF FORECAST SAME EXCEPT FOR TIMING OF CHANGE TO SNOW AND LOWERING ACCUMS. .PBZ... MD...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONE MDZ001. OH...WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES OHZ039>041...OHZ048>050... OHZ057>059...OHZ068>069. PA...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES PAZ023...PAZ030...PAZ032... PAZ007>009...PAZ013>016...PAZ022. WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES PAZ020>021...PAZ029...PAZ031. WV...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES WVZ023...WVZ041. WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES WVZ001>004...WVZ012...WVZ021>022.
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 8, 5:00 AM EST, 16 hours 50 minutes before
MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023- 029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041-081200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION TO DATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 500 AM EST SAT MAR 8 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...EAST CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND GARRETT COUNTY MARYLAND. .DAY ONE...TODAY THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT IN EAST CENTRAL OHIO AND THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL PROVIDE GUSTY WINDS...POSSIBLY GUSTING TO 50 MPH OR MORE. WARM TEMPERATURES AND RAIN MAY CAUSE ICE JAMS IN THE ALLEGHENY RIVER TO MOVE TONIGHT OR EARLY SUNDAY. THIS MAY CAUSE MINOR FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 8, 8:00 PM EST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-090230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 800 PM EST SAT MAR 8 2003 DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM WEST OF COLUMBUS TO AKRON OHIO. SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE IN A LINE EXTENDING FROM ZANESVILLE TO EAST PALESTINE BETWEEN 8:30 AND 9:30 PM. EXPECT WINDS GUSTS OVER 45 MPH AS THIS LINE MOVES THROUGH. A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT OVERNIGHT.
Special weather statement, Mar 8, 8:35 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
PAZ007>009-013>016-020-022-090300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 835 PM EST SAT MAR 8 2003 DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM WEST OF YOUNGSTOWN OHIO TO CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS PENNSYLVANIA. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 45 MPH. SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE IN A LINE EXTENDING FROM BEAVER TO DUBOIS BY 9:30 PM. EXPECT WINDS TO GUSTS OVER 45 MPH AS THIS LINE MOVES THROUGH. A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT OVERNIGHT.
Special weather statement, Mar 8, 8:55 PM EST, 55 minutes before
OHZ069-PAZ021-029-031-WVZ001>004-012-021-022-090330- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 855 PM EST SAT MAR 8 2003 DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING WEST OF ZANESVILLE TO NEW PHILADELPHIA IN OHIO TO WEST OF FRANKLIN PENNSYLVANIA. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 45 MPH. SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE IN A LINE EXTENDING FROM WOODSFIELD OHIO TO PITTSBURGH TO DUBOIS PENNSYLVANIA BY 10:00 PM. EXPECT WINDS TO GUSTS OVER 45 MPH AS THIS LINE MOVES THROUGH. A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT OVERNIGHT.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Ohio
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Ohio forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 40.097, -80.619 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Marshall
- When
- March 8, 10:10 PM EST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.861, -80.663 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Wetzel
- When
- March 8, 10:30 PM EST
- Where
- Wetzel forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.605, -80.639 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Marion
- When
- March 8, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Marion forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.510, -80.243 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Preston
- When
- March 8, 11:25 PM EST
- Where
- Preston forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
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
- Cold in Minnesota, March 8 to 9, 2003
- Cold in North Dakota, March 8 to 9, 2003
- Strong Wind in Ohio, March 8, 2003
- Strong Wind in Pennsylvania, March 8, 2003
- Strong Wind in Ohio, March 8, 2003
- Cold in North Dakota, March 8, 2003
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, March 8, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Montana, March 8 to 9, 2003
- High Wind in Oregon, March 8 to 9, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, March 8, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, March 8 to 9, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Washington, March 8 to 9, 2003
More
Every storm in West Virginia in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, March 2003
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: 5342771, 5342772, 5344969, 5344970, 5344971, 5344972.