Thunderstorm Wind in Kleberg County, Texas

NWS survey team concluded that a downburst of straight-line winds impacted Kingsville during the early evening. Damaging winds were observed across north Kingsville with the highest concentration of damage along Corral Avenue. Wind speeds were estimated between 80 to 90 mph. Widespread tree damaged occurred along with several large trees being uprooted. Power poles were snapped and moderate to major damage occurred to 15 structures. Wind speeds decreased as the winds propagated to the southeast. Winds were measured at 77 mph by the Naval Air Station Kingsville ASOS. The damage path was 2 miles wide and 9 miles in length.

An upper low moved from northwest Texas into southern Oklahoma on the 6th. A strong upper level jet streak moved from southwest Texas into east Texas by early in the evening. This strong jet streak provided strong shear across south Texas. Scattered thunderstorms developed in an strongly unstable environment near the sea breeze boundary over the coastal plains in the afternoon. The thunderstorms produced damaging winds and large hail as they moved southeast toward the coast during the evening hours. The most significant damage occurred in Kingsville as a microburst produced 80 to 90 mph winds in the city.