Did something wake you up just after 6 a.m. today? It probably was the wind.
The National Weather Service in Duluth reports that an unusual low pressure phenomenon that sometimes develops behind thunderstorms -- called a wake low -- spurred a big wind gust out of the east, hitting 57 mph at the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth and 52 mph at Duluth International Airport.
The wind burst was short-lived. Wind speeds averaged 10 mph or less before and soon after the big gusts. Other peak wind speeds this morning included 44 mph on Park Point in Duluth, 43 mph on Devils Island in the Apostles, 39 mph in Two Harbors and 34 mph in Silver Bay.
One homeowner in eastern Duluth reported that a patio umbrella on her back deck was lifted over the house by a gust and deposited in the front yard about 6:40 a.m.
The Weather Service reported no damage from the brief wind gusts.
