Hurricane Kay (2022)

Hurricane Kay was a strong Category 2 hurricane that made landfall along the coast of the Baja California peninsula. The twelfth named storm and eighth hurricane of the 2022 Pacific hurricane season, Kay originated from an area of disturbed weather that formed near Guatemala. Overall, damage from Kay totaled $3.6 million and three fatalities. Kay's rain was able to help fire fighters who had been struggling to put out the Fairview Fire.

Meteorological history

On August 29, the National Hurricane Center located two areas of disturbed thunderstorms that had formed south of Mexico. While one of the areas intensified quickly, becoming Tropical Storm Javier, while the other slowly intensified, organizing itself slower than Javier. By September 3, the NHC had given the area a 90% chance of forming. The next day, the area organized itself, strengthening into ''Tropical Depression Twelve'' at 05:00. By 11:00 on September 4, the depression had strengthened into Tropical Storm Kay. Kay continued organizing and intensifying, resulting in Kay strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane only one day after becoming a tropical storm. On September 6, the eye of Kay passed over Socorro Island with winds of around 85 mph (140 km/h). Kay continued intensifying, becoming a Category 2 hurricane as it moved northwestward towards Baja California. As Kay neared landfall in Baja California Sur, Kay stopped intensifying and organization and convection within Kay minimalized itself, resulting in Kay weakening back into a Category 1 hurricane on September 7. The day after weakening into a Category 1 hurricane, Kay made landfall in the western central Baja California peninsula with winds of around 75 mph (120 km/h). Shortly after landfall, Kay weakened into a tropical storm, before beginning to move northward as it passed by Cedros Island. As Kay moved northward, it transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone overnight 9–10, not far southwest from San Diego, California. Kay made a sudden turn southward and began moving south, though by September 11, Kay had completely dissipated after losing its identity.

Preparations and impact

As Kay paralleled the coast of southwestern Mexico, its outer rains drenched states along the western coast from Oaxaca north to Nayarit, with over to 5.5 in (140 mm) of rain. In addition to flooding, landslides, and falling trees, the hurricane was also responsible for three deaths in Guerrero. Kay also damaged most of the Baja California peninsula with strong winds and heavy rain, which caused much flooding and mudslides, though there were no reports of injuries. Shortly before the storm hit, over 1,600 people evacuated to shelters according to Baja California Sur state officials. Road and agricultural damage in Baja California Sur exceeded 72 million pesos (US$3.6 million), though again, no injuries were reported. Kay's outer bands also hit as far north as Southern California, southern Utah, and southwest Arizona, bringing wind gusts of near 100 mph (160 km/h) to many areas, though the highest winds recorded were in San Diego County, California. Rainfall totals varied across the regions, with Mt. Laguna recording the highest rainfall amount at almost 5.08 in (129 mm). Flash flooding closed numerous roads in the three states; in Imperial County, California, falling boulders created traffic along an area of I-8. Los Angeles set records for both a daily rainfall of 0.2 inches (0.51 cm) as well as a daily heat record of 102 °F (39 °C) as Kay moved through on September 9. Portions of California State Route 190 closed down in the storm. The flash floods caused waterfalls in Death Valley National Park. A Major League Baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers was delayed due to the rain. The rainfall was beneficial to crews in Riverside County, California, battling the Fairview Fire, as it mitigated some of the threat posed by the high winds and dry conditions.

See also

* Other storms of the same name
* Weather of 2022
* Tropical cyclones in 2022
* Timeline of the 2022 Pacific hurricane season
* Hurricane Olaf (2021) – Category 2 hurricane that took a similar path
* Hurricane Lorena (2019) – Category 1 hurricane that took a similar path
* Hurricane Ignacio (2003) – Category 2 hurricane that took a near-identical path

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kay
2022 Pacific hurricane season
Tropical cyclones in 2022
Category 2 Pacific hurricanes
September 2022 events
2022 in Mexico