- White squall
A white squall is a sudden and violent
windstorm phenomenon at sea which is not accompanied by the blackcloud s generally characteristic of asquall . The name refers to the white-cappedwave s and broken water, its meager warning to any unluckyseaman caught in its path. White squalls are rare at sea, but common on theGreat Lakes ofNorth America .A white squall is the culprit of many sea stories and blamed for quite a few tragedies. It is described as a sudden increase in wind velocity in tropical and sub-tropical waters, and lacks the usual dark, ominous squall clouds. The white squall, still thought by some to be myth, may be a
microburst . ["USA Today ": [http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/waoceans.htm "Answers: Oceans, waves, tides."] Retrieved March 21, 2007.]Historical Incidents
*The
Pride of Baltimore , a modern convert|137|ft|m|sing=onschooner , was reportedly struck by a white squall May 14, 1986. The 121-ton vessel sank about convert|240|mi|km north ofPuerto Rico , casting the surviving crew members adrift for five days. "The Toro", a Norwegian freighter picked them up at 2:30 a.m. May 19, 1986. An eyewitness of the account described it as follows:"A tremendous whistling sound suddenly roared through the rigging and a wall of wind hit us in the back. The "Pride" heeled over in a matter of seconds. The convert|70|kn|km/h|sing=on wind pushed a convert|20|ft|m|sing=on high wall of water into the starboard side. She sank in minutes." [http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/waoceans.htm]
*A white squall was allegedly behind the sinking of the schooner "Albatross" on
May 2 ,1961 . The film "White Squall" tells the story behind the event.*A white squall is also believed to have sunk the schooner Hunter Savidge in Lake Huron in 1899.
*Southern Ontario is famous for one frequently recurring white squall nicknamed the "Filteau", its long lanky lightning strikes have terrified tourists for decades.
*
Stan Rogers wrote the song "White Squall" about the white squalls of the Great Lakes.See also
*
Rogue wave
*Microburst References
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