Marine Thunderstorm Wind — Waters From Pt Mansfield To Rio Grande Tx Ext From 20 To 60nm, Gulf of Mexico

2009-10-26 · near South Padre Island, Waters From Pt Mansfield To Rio Grande Tx Ext From 20 To 60nm, Gulf of Mexico

Event narrative

A line of strong thunderstorms, enhanced by the strong cold front catching up to it, produced wind gusts nearing 70 mph as recorded by a Texas A&M University Automated Buoy System observation east of South Padre Island, beginning at 330 PM CST. The microburst following the front maintained storm force gusts through at least 4 PM CST.

Wider weather episode

A vigorous cold front moved through Deep South Texas and the adjacent Gulf of Mexico coastal waters toward the end of October, producing a line of strong to severe thunderstorms which began in western Kenedy County then migrated south southeast through Willacy and Cameron County, as well as the adjacent coastal waters.

Wind gusts between 55 and 65 mph were common as the storms intensified; interestingly, persistent winds within the microburst core maintained these gusts for 15 minutes or more in some areas, with up to an hour of sustained winds above Gale Force. Post-frontal winds behind the line continued with near Gale Force gusts for several hours.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (26.2170, -96.5000)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 200675. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.