Thunderstorm Wind — Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

2010-07-17 · near Mayaguez, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

Event narrative

Strong gusty winds downed a scaffold equipped with lightning equipment at the Olympic Stadium along road 102 in Mayaguez. Seven persons were reported injured and some automobiles were damaged as the scaffold fell down.

Wider weather episode

During the early afternoon of Saturday July 17, a squall line affected the grounds of the Olympic Stadium in the City of Mayaguez, where the Opening Ceremony for the the Mayaguez 2010 Central American Games was to be held later during the afternoon. The squall line reached the city of Mayaguez, producing strong gusty winds that downed a scaffold equipped with lighting equipment at the Isidoro Garcia Park, near the Mayaguez coast. Several persons were injured and some vehicles were damaged as the platform fell to the ground. Downed trees and power lines were reported in several municipalities of western Puerto Rico. Officials were forced to delay the Opening Ceremony.The NOS-NWLON sensor at the Penuelas-Guayanilla Bay reported a wind gust to 53 mph at 12:17 pm as the squall line moved through. The Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge sensor recorded at wind gust to 48 mph at 1:14 pm. Data from the Puerto Rico Electric Power Company (PREPA) wind sensor at El Mani site near the Mayaguez airport, indicated wind gusts of around 33 mph at 1230 pm, 36 mph at 1245 pm, and 30 mph at 1:00 pm. The PREPA net highest wind gust was recorded at La Parguera sensor in Lajas where a 46 mph gust was recorded around 12 noon. Other locations in Puerto Rico recorded wind gusts that varied from 35-45 mph. Initial local and national media reports attributed this wind event to a tornado or a waterspout that had moved inland. However, most of the evidence indicates that it was an outflow boundary that propagated from the east southeast to the west northwest.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (18.1923, -67.1564)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 250238. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.