Wake Low

[Rainband]

Public Information Statement


436 PM EDT Mon Apr 12 2004

...Strong winds caused by unusual phenomena in southwest Florida...

During the late morning and early afternoon hours...an unusually
strong pressure gradient developed between small scale high and low
pressure systems across central and southern Florida. The high was
caused by a cold pool of air formed from the complex of thunderstorms
that moved through the area during the early morning hours. The
low...called a wake low...was formed behind the area of rain which
trailed the thunderstorms...possibly formed by a Gravity wave.

Selected wind gust reports were as follows:

Punta Gorda Airport 1112 am 47 mph
Sarasota/Bradenton Airport 1229 PM 40 mph
Albert Whitted Airport 137 PM 50 mph
sunshine Skyway bridge 145 PM 60 mph
Port Manatee 148 PM 57 mph
Saint Petersburg 154 PM 46 mph
St. Pete/Clearwater Airport 206 PM 40 mph
Tampa international 218 PM 37 mph
Port Tampa 218 PM 34 mph

There were also unofficial wind gust reports in excess of 60 mph
in southern Sarasota and northern Charlotte coutnies...where some
damage was reported (see local storm reports).

[GalvestonDuck]

Wow! Intense wind gusts! It was pretty bad here last week -- lost an umbrella in a wind gust.

Punta Gorda is the name of an airport??? "Fat Point?"

[Rainband]

Wow! Intense wind gusts! It was pretty bad here last week -- lost an umbrella in a wind gust.

Punta Gorda is the name of an airport??? "Fat Point?"

Maybe it was the same phenomena we had/ will have, according to the locals more is on the way

[Anonymous]

Code: Select all

HIGH WIND WARNING
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
620 AM EDT TUE APR 13 2004

FLZ058-059-064-131300-
MARTIN-OKEECHOBEE-ST. LUCIE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FORT PIERCE...HOBE SOUND

...HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH 9 AM...

VERY STRONG WINDS ARE OCCURRING ACROSS OKEECHOBEE..SAINT LUCIE AND
MARTIN COUNTIES EARLY THIS MORNING. A COLLAPSING THUNDERSTORM
COMPLEX ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA HAS BROUGHT STRONG WINDS JUST ABOVE THE
SURFACE TO THE GROUND. STORM SPOTTERS ARE REPORTING SUSTAINED WINDS
BETWEEN 45 AND 50 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. MANY POWER OUTAGES HAVE BEEN
REPORTED.

THE STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY SUBSIDE...BUT
REMAIN ABOVE 40 MPH THROUGH 9 AM. POWER OUTAGES WILL CONTINUE TO BE
A PROBLEM. AVOID DOWNED POWER LINES. DRIVERS OF HIGH PROFILE
VEHICLES SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION.



Code: Select all

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
458 AM EDT TUE APR 13 2004

FLZ039-042-048>051-055-060-131100-
CITRUS-HERNANDO-HILLSBOROUGH-LEVY-MANATEE-PASCO-PINELLAS-SARASOTA-
458 AM EDT TUE APR 13 2004

...MORE UNUSUAL WIND GUSTS HEADED FOR THE SUNCOAST THIS MORNING...

A BROKEN LINE OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE
COAST FROM CITRUS COUNTY THROUGH SARASOTA COUNTY BETWEEN 515 AND 6
AM.  WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ACTIVITY COMBINED WITH OUTFLOW FROM A
MASSIVE THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE KEYS WILL
GUST PERHAPS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH BEFORE DAYBREAK IN SOME AREAS.

EARLY MORNING COMMUTERS SHOULD BE ALERT TO PULSING WIND GUSTS WHICH
COULD BLOW LIGHTWEIGHT OR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD.  IF YOU
ARE UNSURE...DO NOT DRIVE UNTIL THE WINDS SUBSIDE.

MARINERS...ESPECIALLY SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS...ARE URGED TO POSTPONE
TRIPS TODAY AS THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 KNOTS
AND CONFUSED SEAS WILL BE VERY DANGEROUS.  SEAS WILL BUILD EVERYWHERE
LATER TODAY AFTER A COLD FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH THE REGION.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR
UPDATES AND POSSIBLE HAZARDOUS WEATHER WARNINGS.

&&

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW



[Stormsfury]

The unusually strong pressure gradient behind a departing area of showers and thunderstorms is a big key in where gravity waves could possibly form, and such events are rare ... (click on the link for more information below)

Back on December 13th, 2002 ... another such event occurred in the Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP CWA) County Warning Area and the WFO, forecaster in charge recognized the event very quickly once damaging wind reports came in from Georgia ...

[Hoosierwxdude]

A similar situation to this occurred in western and central IL last summer. There were winds up to 80 mph with that one I believe.