Marine Thunderstorm Wind — Coastal Waters of Southern Usvi Vieques and Eastern Puerto Rico Out 10 Nm, Atlantic South

2011-05-14 · near Fajardo Lighthouse, Coastal Waters of Southern Usvi Vieques and Eastern Puerto Rico Out 10 Nm, Atlantic South

Event narrative

Strong thunderstorms affected the coastal waters of Fajardo around mid afternoon which caused locally rough seas of 12 to 15 feet, low visibilities, and wind gusts near 60 mph. Pea size hail was reported at the Puerto Chico Marina in Fajardo. Power boats that were anchored near the Palominos and Icacos islands were pushed to shore, and some suffered damage. A Fajardo boat captain moored in Puerto Chico Marina recorded a 75 mph wind gust on his boat wind sensor.

Wider weather episode

A broad trough associated with a persistent surface low north of the area and a wide northeast to southwest swath of moisture south of Puerto Rico moved very slowly east and created a highly unstable environment across the local area. This instability led to the development of very strong thunderstorms inland that eventually drifted to the east northeast and moved offshore near Fajardo around mid afternoon. These strong thunderstorms produced gusty winds which affected the coastal waters of northeast Puerto Rico, Fajardo, including the off shore islands of Palominos and Icacos, and generated locally rough seas and pea size hail.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (18.3703, -65.5623)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 319484. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.