55 mph gust, a tragedy at Fort Mchenry in Baltimore.

[WXBUFFJIM]

Wind gusts were 50-55 mph in the Baltimore area this afternoon. This wind gust came in very quickly with a heavy squall. Lightning, horizontal rains, and wind gusts to 55 mph occurred. This proved very bad for a taxi boat at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. 21 people have been recovered, 3 people are missing. 1 person is confirmed dead, and there are 9 people in the hospital. Their level of injuries and their condition are uncertain at this point The effort has now turned into a recovery mission at this time.

A few miles east of Baltimore in Essex, wind gust was 55 mph with horizontal rains. Waves were 3-6 feet on the Chesapeake Bay and adjacent rivers.

I'll keep you updated on this story. Not a pretty day for the city of Baltimore. The weather was wild, but maybe alittle too wild for a taxi boat to handle. That combined with 40 degree waters in the harbor is really not a good thing.

Jim

[Guest]

That is unfortunate.

Keep us updated, Jim!

[ColdFront77]

These thunderstorms were isolated, which at times can be severe, like in this case.

[WXBUFFJIM]

2 people are now confirmed dead in this taxi boat accident at Fort Mchenry. The latest speculation is the boat just left the dock at the Fort Mchenry terminal and it headed across the Harbor to the Fells Point docking terminal. As the taxi boat headed to Fells Point, the storm roared in with a sudden gust of wind. Gusts were 50-60 mph with horizontal rain and some occasional lightning. The northwest wind combined with the taxi boat heading northeast may have resulted in the capsizing. The wind was so strong that after the taxiboat flipped over, the boat travelled one mile from the middle of the Inner Harbor down to near the Dundalk Marine Terminal

Once again two people are deceased, one child, and a woman in her 50s. 3 people are missing. 21 other people are accounted for. 9 of those 21 people are in the hospital. Their conditions remain unknown,

It's more of a surreal scene at Baltimore Harbor. Not a good night tonight over the Baltimore Harbor. This operation is going on from Fort Mchenry to the Dundalk Marine Terminal. The Fort Mchenry and Harbor Tunnels are both underneath this area of operation.

Jim

[Josephine96]

I heard about the incident with the boat.. Sad to hear that Mother Nature's fury can end some people's lives

[hurricanedude]

55mph just shy of severe......but bad enough huh?

[tropicana]

This is the story as reported by CNN:

Water taxi capsizes in Baltimore harbor
At least 1 of 25 aboard boat dies; 3 still missing
Sunday, March 7, 2004 Posted: 0315 GMT


Baltimore (Maryland)


(CNN) -- A water taxi capsized Saturday afternoon in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, Maryland, near Fort McHenry, killing at least one person.

The Baltimore Fire Department had announced earlier that two people had died but lowered the toll hours later.

Among those who survived were the boat's captain and assistant captain.

Three of the 25 people who were aboard the pontoon boat when it capsized about a mile from shore are missing and presumed dead.

James Gardner, a spokesman for the Baltimore City Fire Department, said the effort changed from a rescue to a recovery mission about 6:30 p.m. The accident occurred at 4:15 p.m.

The 22 who were rescued were pulled from the water in the minutes after the accident, Baltimore Fire Chief Bill Goodwin said.

All of them were still hospitalized Saturday evening. Two were in critical condition.

The accident was apparently caused by a quick-moving squall that chased the boat as it sped toward shore to tie down.

The fire department and nearby Navy Reservists immediately began a rescue mission.

"The squall that came through hit us all by surprise," Goodwin said. "Luckily there were people there who were witnessing what happened. The fire boat people saw what happened. The Navy Reservists were here training for the weekend and saw what happened."

As the boat neared shore, the squall flipped it upside-down, witnesses said. Two people were able to get on top of the capsized boat and help others aboard as it drifted out of the harbor.


"Luckily there were people who were witnessing what happened," Fire Chief Bill Goodwin said.
"Had no one been looking, this tragedy certainly would have been a lot, lot worse than it already is," Goodwin said.

The water in the Inner Harbor was 46 degrees when the boat capsized -- cold enough to cause hypothermia, officials said.

Hours after the accident, boats from the U.S. Coast Guard and the city's fire department patrolled the harbor looking for survivors.

A statement released by the director of Seaport Taxi, owner of the capsized boat, also suggested high winds were to blame.

"What occurred is that apparently a front was coming through," Nar Izzano said. "The boat was attempting to tie up, to secure. Before it could get to that point, the wind hit it and caused it to flip over."

The privately run water taxis carry passengers, typically tourists, around the city's Inner Harbor district.

Passengers are told in advance that the boats will not operate during thunder and lightening storms. If storms occur, the boats are supposed to stop at the nearest dock until the storm passes.

"This is very, very uncommon," Izzano said. "These boats have been in service in this harbor for over 10 years, and this is the first such incident."

-justin-

[ColdFront77]

55mph just shy of severe......but bad enough huh?

The media keeps reporting that this storm was severe. But, yes, 55 mph is just shy of severe criteria. Pehaps it being 2½ mph below the 57½ mph; it could be considered marginally severe...

Severe thunderstorms have winds in excess of 50 knots, which is 57½ mph.

[Stephanie]

That water taxi never had a chance with those wind gusts. I saw the story on the news last night.

Philadelphia saw a peak wind gust of 40 mph. We did have a thunderstorm come through at around that time when the water taxi was toppled.

[1080iAddict]

I am going to raise the question of negligence by the operating company of the craft. These boats, I must presume, have marine radios. After all, it is a public transport boat, I assume it is a regulation.

Lets assume (but not confirm) some facts. The accident occured approximately 4:00. Radar was mapping the storm, and based on TV replays in Baltimore, radar showed the storm approaching the harbor BEFORE the accident.

To the average person, a freak storm. As a weather enthusiast, do you think it was? Isolated? yes. Freak? I submit no.

Lets see.... the AFDLWX forecast discussion mentioned thunderstorms all day - I remember reading the morning discussion. Regardless, the cell was on Radar. The NWS saw it live, and I saw it on the replay on TV (I was on the Beltway where it hit before the harbor). It was big enough that the NWS launched this alarm:

WHUS51 KLWX 062106
SMWLWX
ANZ531>534-062200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
405 PM EST SAT MAR 6 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* SPECIAL MARINE WARNING FOR...
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM POOLES ISLAND TO SANDY POINT, MD...
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM DRUM POINT MD TO SMITH POINT, VA...
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM SANDY POINT TO NORTH BEACH, MD...
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM NORTH BEACH TO DRUM POINT, MD...

* UNTIL 500 PM EST

* AT 405 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES WEST OF CHURCHTON...OR ABOUT 11
MILES NORTHWEST OF NORTH BEACH...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH. OTHER
STRONG STORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR BALTIMORE...AND NEAR COVE
POINT...MOVING EAST AS WELL.

MARINERS CAN EXPECT WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 50 KT...HIGH
WAVES...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. BOATERS SHOULD SEEK
SAFE HARBOR IMMEDIATELY UNTIL THIS STORM PASSES.

MARINERS SHOULD SEEK SAFE HARBOR IMMEDIATELY. TAKE THE NECESSARY
PRECAUTIONS TO SAFEGUARD LIFE AND PROPERTY.

$$

ROGOWSKI

LAT...LON 3788 7624 3791 7575 3930 7607 3941 7662
3857 7658


Now, this alarm came out at 4:05 pm. There were other alarms too. For the purposes of my argument, I will assume NO alarms were out before the accident (there may have been - does not matter). The cell was very visible on radar, and radar is available on the internet.

Which leads me to the point. Who is watching over the taxi's (I live in baltimore and these taxis have been around for a long time)? Or who should be? I proffer there should have been a dispatcher watching internet radar given convection was a known possibility on Saturday. I submit the dispatcher should have been trained for this. And, I further profer the dispatcher should have dispatched a radio transmission to the vessile to seek port BEFORE the cell was to arrive. I believe it was negligence, DESPITE the media reports of freak storm, etc. (this is my strictly my personal opinion as a weather enthusiast, despite the fact I am a lawyer). Believe me, the NTSB will be looking at this issue closely.

This is a terrible trajedy that should have been prevented.

-ach



.





[ColdFront77]

The Baltimore, MD National Weather Service office never issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for this cell.

Mt. Holly, NJ issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning at 4:23 pm Eastern; which has been posted twice yesterday.

[1080iAddict]

So what if NWS never issued a warning. A little craft like that should be docked whenever a cell similar to that clearly shown on radar is imminent. So the taxi waits 15 minutes...who wants to be on it in that weather anyway. A trained dispatcher that knows how to read even elementary radar can see the strorm coming and take action by sending a radio dispatch to the vessel. Remember, this is a public transport service.

[ColdFront77]

I agree with you 100%.

[hurricanedude]

sorry, I disagree.....these were very low topped thunderstorms.....which would....in most cases mean a minimal threat for significant wind.....just so happened that the low topped storms tapped the upper level disturbance and brought the damaging downburst to the surface......very freak and unfortunate incident, but in no way anyones fault....and even a professional met would have to agree that a 25-30 thousand foot storm as a rule would not spark much attention
just my 2 cents worth...take it or leave it...lol

[ColdFront77]

I agree with you as well, Mike. In case you don't know... I am agreeing with another issue in 1080i's post.

[hurricanedude]

NP Tom......just putting in my 2 cent worth.....

[1080iAddict]

Well, I guess we will have to wait the 1 year for the NTSB report. But given the clear echos on radar and the warnings that were prompted in response, I continue to feel that a dispatcher watching on radar would have, or should have, warned the vessel.

[WXBUFFJIM]

This was located about 5-6 miles east of Baltimore Harbor.

http://community.webshots.com/album/124089384cvsgfY

Jim

[JQ Public]

Heard about it on the news So sad! Hoping for the best though

[1080iAddict]

From today's news reports....


------
The Living Classrooms Foundation, which runs the Seaport Taxi fleet, radioed to Capt. Francis "Frank" O. Deppner that the thunderstorm was in the area and he started to head for shore, said Ellen Engleman-Conners, the National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman.

"There was a report of communication between the owner-operator of the vessel and the vessel concerning the weather," she said.

--------

Interesting development and this 'may' argue against my negligence theory. It depends on the timing of the transmission. Should it have been sooner? I am impressed, quite frankly, that it happened at all so I give the dispatcher credit if the report is true.