Tropical Storm Agatha was the deadliest

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

to form during the

1992 Pacific hurricane season The 1992 Pacific hurricane season was the most active Pacific Hurricane Season, Pacific hurricane season on record, featuring 27 named storms. The season also produced the second-highest Accumulated cyclone energy, ACE value on record in the b ...

, killing 10 people as it passed offshore

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The third named storm of the record-breaking season, Agatha developed as a tropical depression off the Pacific coast of Mexico on June 1. The storm gradually organized over the next several hours. As it moved northward, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Agatha later that day. After reaching its peak winds as a strong tropical storm, Agatha steadily weakened while turning to the west. The system was downgraded to a tropical depression on June 5, and subsequently lost its tropical characteristics the next day. Although Agatha never made

landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

, the storm's outer rainbands triggered widespread flooding that killed ten people.

Meteorological history

On May 26, a

tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...

—or a quasi-

equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

ward

area of low pressure In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclem ...

—moved off the

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

n coast into the east Pacific. Over the subsequent days the system produced a broad area of

convection Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...

, which began to show signs of organization on May 29. Early on June 1, the disturbance became better defined, and shortly thereafter the

National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the IERS Reference Meridian, Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian ...

(NHC) classified it as a tropical depression while located southwest of

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...

. At the time, the depression maintained good

outflow Outflow may refer to: *Capital outflow, the capital leaving a particular economy *Bipolar outflow, in astronomy, two continuous flows of gas from the poles of a star * Outflow (hydrology), the discharge of a lake or other reservoir system *Outflow ...

aloft; it was forecast to strengthen into a minimal hurricane after three days. Based on a combination of ship data and Dvorak intensity estimates, the system was upgraded into Tropical Storm Agatha on June 2. For the first two days of its duration, Agatha steered toward the north while embedded within a deep southerly flow. Steady intensification continued, and the storm reached winds of 50 mph (90 km/h) six hours after being upgraded as it neared the coast of

. By the afternoon of June 2, the center exhibited an elongated appearance within its associated central dense overcast, a large area of organized mid-tropospheric convection. Around 1800 UTC that same day, the storm peaked in intensity with winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 990 mbar (hPa; 29.23 inHg). Maintaining its peak intensity for 30 hours, Agatha gradually decelerated as it passed within southwest of the Mexican coast. Although specialists at the NHC had anticipated a Category 1-hurricane landfall on the territory, the storm defied predictions and stayed at sea. The center of the storm promptly became ill-defined on infrared

satellite imagery Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell im ...

, simultaneously recurving to the west. Agatha continued to degenerate quickly into the morning of June 4, with a ragged appearance observed on satellite imagery. By 0600 UTC June 5, the storm was downgraded back into tropical depression status prior to dissipating the next day.

Preparations and impact

On June 2, forecasters at the

anticipated Agatha to make

near

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

strength. In light of this, a

tropical storm warning Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local pop ...

and

hurricane watch Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local pop ...

were issued for the

Pacific coast of Mexico The Pacific Coast of Mexico or West Coast of Mexico stretches along the coasts of western Mexico at the Pacific Ocean and its Gulf of California, Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). Geography Baja California peninsula On the western Baja Califor ...

between Tenexpa to Cabo Corrites around 2100

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

that day. Additionally, heavy rains from the system prompted concerns over

mudslide A mudflow, also known as mudslide or mud flow, is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris and dirt that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/ ...

s and

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...

s. Following Agatha's turn towards the west early on June 3, the watches and warnings were discontinued. Roughly 1,500 people evacuated from coastal areas of

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

due to the threat of damaging winds and flooding. Although the center of Agatha remained offshore, heavy rains within the system's outer rainbands impacted southwestern and central Mexico. Widespread flooding and mudslides killed ten people and left thousands homeless. Along the coast, waves reportedly reached heights of .

References

{{1992 Pacific hurricane season buttons Agatha Agatha 1992 Agatha 1992

Meteorological history

Preparations and impact

See also

References