A fast moving squall line, associated with a mesoscale convective system, produced relatively long duration Gale to Storm force wind gusts during the late morning of May 18th.  Peak gusts across the Laguna Madre and adjacent Lower Texas gulf waters ranged from 49 to 56 knots as the line swept through.  One storm well ahead of the line produced a gust to 39 knots earlier in the morning.

Marine Thunderstorm Wind in LAGUNA MADRE FROM PORT OF BROWNSVILLE TO ARROYO COLORADO, GULF OF MEXICO
From 18-MAY-10 06:12:00 to 18-MAY-10 06:35:00 (CST-6)
Location: ARROYO CITY
Magnitude: 39.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: C-MAN Station

The Texas Coastal Ocean Observing Network location at the Realitos Peninsula recorded nearly a half hour of gale force wind gusts associated with an intensifying and slow moving thunderstorm. Peak winds of nearly 39 knots occurred at 624 AM CST.

Marine Thunderstorm Wind in LAGUNA MADRE FROM 5NM N OF PT MANSFIELD TO BAFFIN BAY TX, GULF OF MEXICO
From 18-MAY-10 11:36:00 to 18-MAY-10 12:11:00 (CST-6)
Location: S BAFFIN BAY
Magnitude: 36.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: C-MAN Station

The Texas Coastal Ocean Observing Network site at Baffin Bay, just a few miles north of the Kenedy/Kleberg County line, recorded more than a half hour of nearly uninterrupted gale force wind gusts just after midday.  The wind surge was from the southeast, a result of outflows behind an intense squall line which had moved off the coast more than an hour earlier.

Marine Thunderstorm Wind in LAGUNA MADRE FROM PORT OF BROWNSVILLE TO ARROYO COLORADO, GULF OF MEXICO
From 18-MAY-10 06:54:00 to 18-MAY-10 07:11:00 (CST-6)
Location: ARROYO CITY
Magnitude: 48.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: C-MAN Station

The Texas Coastal Ocean Observing Network site at Realitos Peninsula reported nearly 12 minutes of unbroken wind gusts in excess of 45 knots. Peak winds were 48.2 knots, or 56 mph, at 706 AM CST.

Marine Thunderstorm Wind in COASTAL WATERS FROM PT MANSFIELD TO RIO GRANDE RIVER TX OUT 20NM, GULF OF MEXICO
From 18-MAY-10 09:27:00 to 18-MAY-10 09:56:00 (CST-6)
Location: SOUTH PADRE ISLAND
Magnitude: 56.00 EG
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard station along the bayside of South Padre Island recorded a peak gust of 55.6 knots as the squall line and associated microburst raced across the Lower Texas coast.  Duration of gale force or greater gusts was nearly a half hour; in fact, the sensor recorded storm force (48 knots) gusts through the entire period.  The combined data from land and marine sites, as well as rapid propagation across a one-half mile wide barrier island, strongly suggests that similar winds continued at least several nautical miles into the Lower Texas Gulf waters east of South Padre Island.

Marine Thunderstorm Wind in LAGUNA MADRE FROM PORT OF BROWNSVILLE TO ARROYO COLORADO, GULF OF MEXICO
From 18-MAY-10 09:30:00 to 18-MAY-10 09:47:00 (CST-6)
Location: PORT ISABEL
Magnitude: 39.00 MG
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: C-MAN Station

The NOAA C-MAN station just southeast of Port Isabel recorded a peak gust of 39.1 knots as the squall line and associated microburst raced across the Lower Texas coast.  Duration of gale force or greater gusts was a little more than 15 minutes; protection from nearby land and buildings may have reduced the speeds when compared with those recorded at the fully exposed U.S. Coast Guard site at South Padre Island (55.6 knots).

Marine Thunderstorm Wind in LAGUNA MADRE FROM PORT OF BROWNSVILLE TO ARROYO COLORADO, GULF OF MEXICO
From 18-MAY-10 09:24:00 to 18-MAY-10 09:53:00 (CST-6)
Location: PORT ISABEL
Magnitude: 56.00 MG
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard station along the bayside of South Padre Island recorded a peak gust of 55.6 knots as the squall line and associated microburst raced across the Lower Texas coast.  Duration of gale force or greater gusts was nearly a half hour; in fact, the sensor recorded storm force (48 knots) gusts through the entire period.