High Wind — Southern Erie, Pennsylvania

2020-01-12 · Southern Erie, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

Erie News Now reported tree branches were leaning on power lines in Summit Township. Used time of peak gust at the nearby KERI ASOS to estimate the time at which this damage occurred.

Wider weather episode

At 850 mb, a potent low moved from near the northern Indiana/southwest Michigan border on the early evening of January 11th to northern Maine by early afternoon of January 12th. This low was accompanied by a strong 850 mb wind field of about 40 to 60 knots over northwest Pennsylvania from the early evening of the 11th through most of the morning of the 12th. At the surface, a low moved northeastward along a stationary front as the low shifted from north-central Kentucky on the early evening of the 11th to the Gulf of Maine by early afternoon on the 12th. This low's trailing cold front swept eastward over northwest Pennsylvania during the predawn hours of the 12th. A tight pressure gradient accompanying this low pressure system and/or rain showers transporting stronger winds aloft to the surface contributed to high wind gusts.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 873184. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.