Naples Storm

Collier County/Naples Area Severe Thunderstorm Wind Damage

 

January 17, 2016

A well-developed squall line moving through the eastern Gulf of Mexico pushed onshore the Collier County coast during the early morning hours of January 17th, 2016 bringing a large area of severe wind gusts with peak winds of 70 to 90 mph.  Damage was reported  across a large swath of Collier County, with the strongest winds generally occurring across Naples where the line made landfall.

Synoptic Setup For The Event

The most recent in a series of surface lows developed over the Gulf of Mexico on January 16th, and pushed across Central Florida on the 17th. A strong squall line developed over the Gulf of Mexico during the overnight hours ahead of the cold front, and rapidly pushed into the coast just before daybreak on the 17th.  

12Z (7 AM EST) Surface Analysis Showing Position of Surface Low, Cold Front, and Squall Line

 

 

Severe Weather Outlook Issued By the Storm Prediction Center On the Afternoon of Saturday, January 16 For Sunday, January 17	Severe Weather Outlook Issued By the Storm Prediction Center On the Evening of Saturday, January 16 For the Overnight Hours
Torando Watch Issued For Florida Peninsula at 1245 AM

 

Radar Loop of the Squall Line Across Western Collier County

 

Tornado Warning Issued For Collier County

 

 

Approximate Damage Swaths and Reported Damage from Reports and Survey

Click for larger image

Public Information Statement from Damage Survey

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 01/17/16 THUNDERSTORM WIND EVENT...

...70 TO 90 MPH THUNDERSTORM WINDS FOR LARGE SWATH OF COLLIER COUNTY...

PEAK WIND ESTIMATED: 70 TO 90 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 30 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 4 MILES
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0

START DATE: JAN_17_2016
START TIME: 521 AM EST
START LOCATION: 1 SW NAPLES / COLLIER / FL
START LAT/LON: 26.1349 / -81.8071

END DATE: JAN_17_2016
END TIME: 551 AM EST
END LOCATION: 2 ESE IMMOKALEE / COLLIER / FL
END LAT/LON: 26.4064 / -81.4123

SURVEY_SUMMARY: NWS MIAMI STORM SURVEY CONDUCTED SUNDAY AFTERNOON
DETERMINED A LARGE SWATH OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WINDS IMPACTED A
30 MILE LONG...2 TO 4 MILE WIDE CORRIDOR OF COLLIER
COUNTY...STARTING AS THE THUNDERSTORM MOVED ONSHORE THE CITY OF
NAPLES...AND CONCLUDING AS THE STORM PASSED OVER IMMOKALEE.

DETAILS OF DAMAGE INVESTIGATED DURING THE SURVEY INCLUDE:

SEVERAL BEACHED CATAMARANS WERE OBSERVED IN THE VICINITY OF
NAPLES PIER. WITHIN NAPLES...AREAS OF MAINLY TREE DAMAGE WERE
OBSERVED IN THE PORT ROYAL...AQUALANE SHORES...ROYAL HARBOR...AND
OLDE NAPLES AREAS. DAMAGE ALONG THE NAPLES COASTLINE EXTENDED AS
FAR SOUTH AS THE SOUTHERNMOST PART OF GORDON DRIVE TO AS FAR NORTH
AS BROAD AVENUE. THIS INCLUDED SOME OF THE MORE SIGNIFICANT TREE
DAMAGE THAT WAS OBSERVED ON KINGS TOWN DRIVE...WHICH CONSISTED OF
LARGE UPROOTED HARDWOOD TREES...TREES SNAPPED AT THE TRUNK...AND
PINE TREES SNAPPED UP TO 50 FEET ABOVE THEIR BASE.

DAMAGE SPREAD NORTHEASTWARD...INCLUDING DAMAGE TO A BOAT AND
DOCK AS WELL AS A CONSTRUCTION SITE NEAR LAKE PARK AND THE PORT
OF NAPLES MARINA. FURTHER NORTH...SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE WAS
OBSERVED AT THE NAPLES ZOO.

NEXT THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CROSSED NAPLES MUNICIPAL
AIRPORT...WHERE SEVERAL PLANES WERE DAMAGED AND EXTENSIVE TREE
DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE AIRPORT. THE OFFICIAL
NWS OBSERVATION AT NAPLES AIRPORT MEASURED AN 82 MPH WIND GUST AT
525 AM EST...AND A NEARBY MESONET OBSERVATION REPORTED AN 84 MPH
WIND GUST AT THE SAME TIME. ADDITIONAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO SHEDS
AND OUTBUILDINGS WERE OBSERVED ALONG AIRPORT-PULLING ROAD.

INTERMITTENT DAMAGE CONTINUED AS THE STORM CROSSED INTERSTATE
75...BETWEEN GOLDEN GATE PARKWAY...SANTA BARBARA BLVD...AND RADIO
ROAD. AGAIN...UPROOTED AND SNAPPED TREES WERE NUMEROUS...AND
PARTIAL ROOF DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. DAMAGE BECOME MORE CONCENTRATED
IN GOLDEN GATE CITY...PRIMARILY ACROSS NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE
COMMUNITY...INCLUDING ALONG CORONADO PARKWAY. IN THIS REGION...IN
ADDITION TO TREE DAMAGE...NUMEROUS STREET SIGNS WERE DOWNED AND
FENCE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AND CONCENTRATED DAMAGE OCCURRED IN GOLDEN
GATE ESTATES. HERE...DOZENS OF VERY LARGE TREES WERE DOWNED WITHIN
A TWO BLOCK AREA IN THE VICINITY OF COLLIER ROAD AND 5TH AVENUE
NW. POWER LINES...FENCES...AND OUTBUILDINGS WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED.

FURTHER NORTHEAST...THE MAGNITUDE OF DAMAGE DIMINISHED AND BECAME
MORE SPORADIC...WITH ONLY ISOLATED DOWNED AND SNAPPED TREES
THROUGH ORANGE TREE AND ALONG OIL WELL ROAD.

THE FINAL LOCATION OF DAMAGE WAS THE IMMOKALEE SEMINOLE
RESERVATION...WHICH CORRESPONDED TO A NEARBY MEASURED WIND GUST
OF 79 MPH AT 551 AM EST. DAMAGE TO FENCES...POWER LINES...AND
TREES WERE OBSERVED.

THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING AT 60 MPH. ALTHOUGH NO
CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE OF A TORNADO WAS FOUND...THESE THUNDERSTORM
WIND SPEEDS WERE EQUIVALENT TO THOSE FOUND IN AN EF-1 TORNADO.

NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENTS AND PUBLICATION IN NWS
STORM DATA. NWS MIAMI WOULD LIKE TO THANK COLLIER COUNTY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT FOR THEIR EXTENSIVE ASSISTANCE WITH THIS STORM SURVEY.
WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK LOCAL AND COUNTY OFFICIALS AND THE
GENERAL PUBLIC FOR THEIR HELP IN THIS SURVEY.