Houston Wind Damage

When many saw the forecast for Thursday on Wednesday afternoon, they were doubtful. Some knew it would be a windy day, but when the amended forecast called for 40-50 mph gusts, it gave severe concern. This time, the weather forecasters were spot on. In reality, they may have underestimated the projected winds by a factor of two.

According to the National Weather Services in Shreveport and Houston/Galveston, maximum wind gusts were observed in numerous East and Southeast Texas counties. According to the National Weather Services in Shreveport and Houston/Galveston. On Thursday, the most significant wind gust was recorded at the A.L. Mangham Airport in Nacogdoches in Deep East Texas. During the lunch hour yesterday, they recorded a wind gust of 58 mph. Livingston experienced a 56 mph gust around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, and the Angelina County Airport saw a 47 mph gust around 2:15 p.m.

Here are a couple of additional peak wind gusts recorded by many different reporting stations:

36 mph Zavalla
Jacksonville Etoile 32 mph 49 miles per hour
48 mph in Henderson
33 mph at San Augustine, 38 mph in the center
Crockett 44 mph Coldspring 52 mph
Wind gusts of above 60 mph were observed in numerous sites throughout Houston.

On Thursday, the National Weather Service in Shreveport dispatched a damage survey crew to Downtown Lufkin. They photographed the damage and reviewed surveillance footage from Wednesday's storm, which blasted into the region at 9:30 a.m. The damage was confirmed to be caused by straight-line winds rather than tornadic winds. According to meteorologists, the structures in the downtown area funneled the winds into a 'turbulent eddy .' according to meteorologists. Top winds of 80 mph were recorded in sections of downtown Lufkin during this brief occurrence.