Could someone inform me?

[m_ru]

I was in Huntsville, Tx during Ike. Since I had no power, I was unaware of the powerful winds he rocked Ohio and surrounding states with. How did that happen? Was there a tight pressure gradient? Was he moving unusually fast? I'm just intrigued because some of the wind reports from that area astounded me.

[Ed Mahmoud]

NWS Cleveland top wind reports

NOTE THAT THIS TROPICAL SYSTEM WAS MUCH STRONGER THAN
NORMAL FOR OUR AREA. THIS WAS DUE TO A COMBINATION
OF FACTORS:
-THE STORM ITSELF WHICH MAINTAINED A WELL DEFINED
STRUCTURE (A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT)...
-INCREASING FORWARD SPEED (IKE WAS MOVING OVER 40 MPH)...
-THE TIMING AFTER A SUNNY AND WARM DAY (STRONGER WINDS
ALOFT WERE ABLE TO MIX DOWN)...
-OUR LOCATION ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE STORM (THE WINDY
QUADRANT WHERE THE ROTATIONAL AND TRANSLATIONAL
SPEED WERE ADDITIVE.

[Ed Mahmoud]

NWS Wilmington

14 September 2008 Widespread Damaging Winds
(Remnants of Hurricane Ike)

The remnants of Hurricane Ike merged with a frontal boundary across the lower Ohio Valley Sunday morning. Due to the very low pressure of this system, the pressure gradient to the south and east of the surface low remained very tight as it raced into northwest Ohio through Sunday evening. This led to widespread damaging winds across much of the Ohio Valley, with gusts in excess of 70 mph reported. These severe winds persisted for several hours which resulted in much more widespread damage than typical severe thunderstorm winds, which usually last a matter of minutes.

The heaviest damage occurred roughly along a corridor extending along and just north of the Ohio River through Indiana and Kentucky, and along and just north of the I-71 corridor into central Ohio. The Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton metro areas were all strongly impacted. Damage to trees and structures across this corridor was widespread and there were numerous injuries. Damage on either side of this corridor was less severe and was mostly limited to large tree branches and a few power lines being blown down.

Widespread power outages affecting more than 1 million people have been reported, and numerous roads and highways were blocked or closed due to debris and fallen power lines. Total restoration of power will likely take a week or longer. Three fatalities have been reported across the Cincinnati area, one in central Ohio and two in southeast Indiana.

Additional comments from Dr. Jay Hobgood of The Ohio State University.

A discussion of contributing upper air conditions.

** The National Weather Service would like to remind its customers of the importance of owning a battery powered NOAA Weather Radio. This will ensure you receive alarmed warnings of impending hazardous weather, even if you lose power. You can buy receivers at many retail outlets, including electronics, department, sporting goods, and boat and marine accessory stores and their catalogs. They can also be purchased via the Internet from online retailers or directly from manufacturers. **

View photos of wind damage

If you would like to include your damage photos on our website, please send them to spotreport.iln@noaa.gov (remember to include permission for your photos to appear on our website).

Highest measured wind gusts - official observations:
75 mph -- Port Columbus International Airport (Franklin County, OH)
74 mph -- Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Int'l Airport (Boone County, KY)
74 mph -- Airborne Airpark, Wilmington, OH (Clinton County, OH)
69 mph -- Bolton Field (Franklin County, OH)
69 mph -- Rickenbacker Airport (Franklin County, OH)
68 mph -- Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport (Montgomery County, OH)
63 mph -- OSU Airport (Franklin County, OH)
61 mph -- Cincinnati Lunken Municipal Airport (Hamilton County, OH)
60 mph -- Dayton International Airport (Montgomery County, OH)
59 mph -- Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (Greene County, OH)

Highest measured wind gusts - unofficial observations:
84 mph -- West Chester, OH (Butler County)
78 mph -- Lebanon, OH (Warren County)
77 mph -- Wilmington, OH (Clinton County)
73 mph -- Anna, OH (Shelby County)
66 mph -- St. Mary's, OH (Auglaize County)
65 mph -- Baltimore, OH (Fairfield County)
65 mph -- Trenton, OH (Butler County)
63 mph -- Beavercreek, OH (Greene County)
61 mph -- Springfield, OH (Clark County)
60 mph -- Cleves, OH (Hamilton County
60 mph -- Sunman, IN (Ripley County)
58 mph -- Hamilton, OH (Butler County)
56 mph -- Cincinnati, OH (Hamilton County)
49 mph -- Greenville, OH (Darke County)

A Historical Perspective on Wind Gusts.

[m_ru]

Wow! Thanks you guys!

[Calasanjy]

Yes, Ike also combined with an incoming cold front to produce the high winds throughout the lower Ohio Valley and into Missouri. When a weakening TC combines with a cold front, it can enhance the pressure gradient of the low pressure center.