Seiche, Snow, High Winds Down Trees in Northeast

High winds downed trees in the Northeast this weekend and our Facebook Fans posted a number of photos of the damage. We've had worse wind storms this year -- but as AccuWeather.com meteorologist Alex Sosnowski pointed out to me this morning: not since the leaves were out. This made for a louder, more damaging wind event. This was more like your typical winter wind storm, somewhat out-of-place for this late in the Spring.

The NWS Spotter Reports says that the estimated 73 mph in Mayfield, New York was the maximum wind gust (not including Mount Washington, NH which gusted over 80 mph). Gusts over 60 mph were also spotted in Oneida and Erie, PA, typical lake-effect snow areas during the winter. Damage reports were widespread, as you can see from the map and video below.

A seiche was also reported on Lake Erie when the storm-surge-like event pushed up water onto roads near Buffalo, New York. The tide gauge at Buffalo recorded a sea-level rise of about 2 meters (6 feet).

Behind the cold front that brought the winds, snow fell across parts of the region (I observed snow pellets at my house in State College Sunday); as much as 4 inches of snow fell at Redfield, New York. In Pennsylvania, temperatures fell to 31 degrees at my weather station this morning, 23 at an amateur station in the northern part of the state, and 22 at a Co-op station.