ZOB CTLR MISJUDGES WINDS ALOFT WHEN ISSUING AN F100 VECTORS FOR DSCNT AND THE ACR CONFLICTS WITH AN ENRTE; LEVEL DC9.

Narrative

I WAS ONLY WORKING 5 ACFT AT THE TIME. I ISSUED A DSCNT CLRNC TO ACFT X FROM FL350 TO FL280. THE ACFT Y AT FL330 WAS ABOUT 20 MI BEHIND AND IN A SLOPPY TURN TO THE NE AND APPEARED TO NOT BE A FACTOR WITH THE NBOUND ACFT X. A COUPLE OF MINS AFTER ISSUING THE DSCNT CLRNC; I RECALLED THAT THE WINDS WERE UNUSUALLY STRONG AND OUT OF THE NW AND I FIGURED I MAY NEED TO RE-EVALUATE THE TFC. I RAN OUT THE VECTOR LINES AND KNEW I WOULDN'T HAVE 5 MI; SO I IMMEDIATELY TURNED ACFT Y 20 DEGS R. AS SOON AS I GAVE THAT CLRNC; I KNEW THAT THE SIT REALLY REQUIRED AN ASSIGNED HDG (20 DEGS R JUST SEEMS TOO BLASE) AND ONE THAT WOULD MORE THAN COMPENSATE FOR THE OVERTAKE. I CHOSE A 100 DEG HDG BECAUSE 1) FROM THEIR PRECISE POS AT THE TIME; NOT ACCOUNTING FOR WINDS; THAT WOULD PUT THE ACFT Y ABOUT 5 MI BEHIND ACFT X'S POS AT PRESENT; AND 2) TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE WINDS; THAT HDG WOULD LIKELY END UP MORE LIKE A TRACK OF 120 DEGS; WHICH WOULD BE MORE THAN ENOUGH. HOWEVER; ACFT Y HAD THE WIND AT HIS TAIL AND HIS TURNS WERE SLUGGISH. IT WAS A FULL MIN OR MORE BEFORE HIS RADAR PRESENTATION SHOWED EVEN A SMALL CHANGE IN HIS TRACK; INDICATING A TURN. THIS IS UNUSUAL IN THAT; ONCE A TURN IS ISSUED TO AN ACFT; IT USUALLY ONLY TAKES A FEW HITS (30 SECONDS) BEFORE THE TRACK SHOWS AN OBVIOUS CHANGE. I SHOULD HAVE RUN OUT THE VECTOR LINES BEFORE I EVER ISSUED THE CLRNC FOR DSCNT TO SEE WHETHER IT WAS CLEAN OR NOT. BUT; AS I SAID; TFC WAS LIGHT. ON ANY OTHER DAY THIS CLRNC WOULD'VE BEEN GOLDEN. INSTEAD OF OPTING TO USE A CRUTCH BEFORE I GIVE EVERY CLRNC; I'D DO BETTER TO STAY AWARE OF ALL THE CONDITIONS AFFECTING MY SECTOR THAT DAY AND EXERCISE CAUTION.