A strong westerly flow occurred across the Eastern Shore during the day on the 15th. It was caused by the pressure gradient (difference) between an intensifying low pressure system heading through the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system building east from the Lower Mississippi Valley. Peak wind gusts were around 50 mph. The strong winds knocked down hundreds of trees and wires throughout Eastern Pennsylvania and over 325,000 homes and businesses lost power in the state. This was an inordinate number of downed trees given the peak wind gusts. It was believed it was caused by the unseasonably wet weather which made it easier for the trees to be knocked down. In addition October was milder than normal to date and left more foliage on the trees than is typical for this time of year. Also, the winds were blowing in nearly an opposite direction to what occurred with Tropical Storm Isabel leaving ones with western exposure vulnerable to the winds this time. Lastly, the strong gusts persisted for a long period of time. The downed trees and wires damaged dozens of homes and scores of vehicles. No injuries though were reported.  In Monroe and Carbon Counties, about 9,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Stroud Township (Monroe County) alone there were a dozen calls of downed trees. Main Street in Jim Thorpe (Carbon County) was without power through the afternoon of the 16th. Downed wires caused a couple of brief brush fires in Carbon County. In the Lehigh Valley, about 40,000 Pennsylvania Power and Light customers were without power. About half of the outages were in Allentown and Bethlehem. Damaged vehicles were reported in both cities. In addition, about 7,500 Metropolitan Edison customers lost power in the valley. All power was restored by the evening of the 16th. In Berks County, about 14,000 homes and businesses lost power, about one-third the number from Tropical Storm Isabel. A downed tree damaged a home in Birdsboro. Systemwide more than 130,000 Pennsylvania Power and Light and about 76,000 Metropolitan Edison customers lost power in Pennsylvania. In the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, about 130,000 PECO Energy customers lost power: 50,000 in Bucks County, 40,000 in Montgomery County, 24,000 in Chester County and 15,000 in Delaware County. All power was restored by the afternoon of the 16th. While Bucks County had the most outages, they were mostly restored by the evening of the 15th. In Pottstown in Montgomery County, there were 25 calls of downed trees. Three streets were blocked. Numerous trees were knocked down also in Plymouth Township and Gladwyne (Upper Merion Township). In Chester County, Coatesville, Phoenixville and West Chester were hardest hit by downed trees. One home was damaged by a downed tree in West Chester. In Delaware County, Upper Darby Township was hit the hardest. Throughout the region downed wires caused delays on the SEPTA rail lines.  Peak wind gusts included 51 mph in Reading (Berks County) and Lancaster (Lancaster County), 48 mph in Northeast Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley International Airport and the Scranton Regional Airport (Luzerne County), 47 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and 44 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County).

Strong Wind in DELAWARE, PENNSYLVANIA
From 15-OCT-03 09:00:00 to 15-OCT-03 17:00:00 (EST)
Magnitude: 40 EG
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Strong Wind in LEHIGH, PENNSYLVANIA
From 15-OCT-03 09:00:00 to 15-OCT-03 17:00:00 (EST)
Magnitude: 42 MG
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Strong Wind in MONROE, PENNSYLVANIA
From 15-OCT-03 09:00:00 to 15-OCT-03 17:00:00 (EST)
Magnitude: 42 EG
Property damage: 40K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Strong Wind in MONTGOMERY, PENNSYLVANIA
From 15-OCT-03 09:00:00 to 15-OCT-03 17:00:00 (EST)
Magnitude: 40 EG
Property damage: 100K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Strong Wind in NORTHAMPTON, PENNSYLVANIA
From 15-OCT-03 09:00:00 to 15-OCT-03 17:00:00 (EST)
Magnitude: 42 EG
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Strong Wind in PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
From 15-OCT-03 09:00:00 to 15-OCT-03 17:00:00 (EST)
Magnitude: 42 MG
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Strong Wind in BERKS, PENNSYLVANIA
From 15-OCT-03 09:00:00 to 15-OCT-03 17:00:00 (EST)
Magnitude: 44 MG
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Strong Wind in BUCKS, PENNSYLVANIA
From 15-OCT-03 09:00:00 to 15-OCT-03 17:00:00 (EST)
Magnitude: 40 EG
Property damage: 100K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Strong Wind in CARBON, PENNSYLVANIA
From 15-OCT-03 09:00:00 to 15-OCT-03 17:00:00 (EST)
Magnitude: 42 EG
Property damage: 10K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Strong Wind in CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA
From 15-OCT-03 09:00:00 to 15-OCT-03 17:00:00 (EST)
Magnitude: 40 EG
Property damage: 100K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER