Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Cameron
- When
- September 1, 11:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Coastal Cameron forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS Storm Survey
Hurricane Gustav generated swells produce high surf and tidal overwash along the coast of Deep South Texas.
Swells generated by Hurricane Gustav, which moved northwest from western Cuba toward the southeast Louisiana coast in a little over 30 hours between late evening August 30th and early morning on Labor Day, September 1st, hustled onto the Deep South Texas by late morning, and continued into the evening before quickly receding overnight and during the morning of September 2nd.
Waves up to 12 feet or more were noted by local surfers. The waves along South Padre Island were purely swell driven, allowing for clean breaks and curls. These conditions were verified by maritime observations from NOAA Buoy 42020, which indicated a light west wind of only 4 knots, but combined seas of 7 to 8 feet, and most importantly, a swell period of 13 to 14 seconds.
Swells produced long wavelengths, of which the final set at the shoreline drove well beyond the normal location, flooding the beaches with up to 2 feet of water, or a little more, in some cases, especially as astronomical tides were rising during the mid to late afternoon. At high tide, water reached 2 to 3 feet at the dune line, which easily surged through dune breaks, such as Beach Access 6. While this was a critical hazard for those who normally drive along the beach, there was only a brief period when the water reached across State Highway 100. No flooding was observed at beachside resorts. Though no gages were available along the beach, it was estimated that tide departures approaching 3 feet above normal occurred.
Along with the high surf and high tides came a fierce undertow, and likely some dangerous rip currents. Fortunately, despite the hot and dry weather across the Lower Rio Grande Valley, non surfing crowds were fairly light, and those that did venture into the surf were cautious. No drownings have been reported thus far.