 The intense counterclockwise rotation of the low was made apparent by the changing wind directions around its center . In Buffalo , New York , morning northwest winds had shifted to northeast by noon and were blowing southeast by 5 : 00 p.m. , with the fastest gusts , 80 mph ( 130 km / h ) , occurring between 1 : 00 p.m. and 2 : 00 p.m. Just 180 miles ( 290 km ) to the southwest , in Cleveland , winds remained northwest during the day , shifting to the west by 5 : 00 p.m. , and maintaining speeds of more than 50 mph ( 80 km / h ) . The fastest gust in Cleveland , 79 mph ( 127 km / h ) , occurred at 4 : 40 p.m. There was a dramatic drop in barometric pressure at Buffalo , from 29 @.@ 52 inHg ( 999 @.@ 7 hPa ) at 8 : 00 a.m. to 28 @.@ 77 inHg ( 974 @.@ 3 hPa ) at 8 : 00 p.m. 
