Strong Wind — Coastal Chatham, Georgia

2023-12-17 · Coastal Chatham, Georgia

Event narrative

A picture was relayed of a large tree down and blocking a trail.

Wider weather episode

A low pressure system developed over the Gulf of Mexico and tracked northeast across the Florida Peninsula in the early morning hours of December 17th, then strengthened across warm Atlantic waters while passing along the Southeast Coast, bringing minor impacts in the form of coastal flooding and strong winds across southeast Georgia.

Moderate coastal flooding occurred along the southeast Georgia coast, with the Fort Pulaski Tide Gage (FPKG1) peaking at 10.07 ft MLLW on December 17th, which is the 15th highest tide on record at this location. A daily record rainfall amount of 3.16 inches was also set at the Savannah, GA (KSAV) climate site. Elsewhere, rainfall amounts generally fell within the 2 to 4 inch range across southeast Georgia.

During rapid intensification, the low pressure system displayed central pressures lowering from 1010 mb at 7 AM December 16th to 988 mb at 7 PM December 17th, a 22 mb drop in a 36-hr period. This led to a strong pressure gradient across the region as well as December minimum sea-level pressure records being set at several coastal sites along the Southeast Coast, including at Savannah, GA (KSAV). Observed wind gusts along the coast were generally between 40 and 50 mph, which led to a few trees down across the area.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1153572. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.