Marine Tropical Storm — Breton Sound, Gulf of Mexico

2017-06-20 to 2017-06-21 · Breton Sound, Gulf of Mexico

Event narrative

Occasional sustained winds of tropical storm force with frequent tropical storm force gusts were common across the marine zone. The USGS gauge at Bay Gardene near Point A La Hache recorded a maximum sustained wind of 42 kts, or 48 mph, at 5pm CST on the 20th.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Cindy developed over the central Gulf of Mexico on June 20th and moved generally northwest for the next few days before making landfall in southwest Louisiana near the Louisiana and Texas state line.

Cindy was an asymmetric system as it moved through the central Gulf toward southwest Louisiana, resulting widespread tropical storm force winds across the Gulf waters of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi.

The minimum sea level pressure in the coastal waters of Southeast Louisiana and Mississippi (1002.1 mb) was recorded by the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port site at 5:34 pm CST on the 20th, though that barometer is about 40 meters above sea level. The Grand Isle Blocks site which is owned and maintained by Louisiana State University, reported a minimum sea level pressure of 1003.4 mb at 6pm CST on the 21st. That site's barometer is only 3 meters above sea level.

Frequent tropical storm force wind gusts were recorded throughout the coastal waters, with occasional reports of sustained tropical storm force winds. The anemometer at the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port recorded the area's highest sustained wind and wind gust, though the anemometer at that site is nearly 60 meters above sea level. The maximum gust reported was 57 kts, or 66 mph, at 3:34pm CST on the 20th. The maximum sustained wind reported was 46 kts, or 53 mph, at 4:34 pm CST on the 20th.

The highest sustained wind and wind gust reported by a station with an anemometer at the standard height of 10 meters above sea level were recorded by the Grand Isle Blocks site. Here, the maximum recorded gust was 55 kts, or 63 mph, at 6pm CST on the 21st. The maximum sustained wind was 43 kts, or 49 mph, also at 6pm CST on the 21st.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 715544. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.