Hurricane Orlene (2022)
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Hurricane Orlene was a powerful
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 ...
that caused minor damage to the Pacific coast of
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 ...
in October 2022. The cyclone was the sixteenth
named storm Tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are named by various warning centers to simplify communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. The names are intended to reduce confusion in the ...
, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the
2022 Pacific hurricane season The 2022 Pacific hurricane season was a slightly above average hurricane season in the eastern North Pacific basin (east of 140°W), with nineteen named storms, ten hurricanes, and four major hurricanes. Two of the storms crossed into the basi ...
. Orlene originated from a low-pressure area off the coast of Mexico. Moving towards the north, Orlene gradually strengthened, becoming a hurricane on October 1 and reaching its peak intensity the following day with winds of . Orlene 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 ...
just north of the Nayarit and Sinaloa border, with winds of . Soon afterward, Orlene rapidly weakened and became a tropical depression, eventually dissipating over the
Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...
late on October 4. Orlene prompted the issuance of hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings for Northwestern Mexico. The storm's knocked out power to nearly 49,092 customers in two states. Orlene caused minor damage to many schools. Damage in San Blas exceeded MX$12 million (US$600,000), though the total damage in Mexico was unknown.


Meteorological history

On September 25, 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) noted the possible development of a low-pressure area located several miles offshore the south of the Southwestern Mexico coast which was conducive for further
tropical cyclogenesis Tropical cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropics, tropical cyclogenesis occur are distinctly different from those through which temperate cyclogenesis occu ...
The low produced a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Satellite imagery showed that the associated shower activity was showing signs of organization. By September 29, the NHC initiated advisories on ''Tropical Depression Sixteen-E''. Six hours later, the depression strengthened into a tropical storm, and was assigned the name ''Orlene''. Orlene become better organized, with a small
central dense overcast The central dense overcast, or CDO, of a tropical cyclone or strong subtropical cyclone is the large central area of thunderstorms surrounding its circulation center, caused by the formation of its eyewall. It can be round, angular, oval, or ir ...
forming. There was a burst of deep convection and a gradual increase in satellite presentation. Microwave imagery revealed a well-defined curved band wrapping into a developing inner core. Orlene strengthened into a hurricane at 15:00 UTC on October 1, with central convection becoming more symmetric. An Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft recorded 700 mb flight-level winds of around the northeastern eyewall. Later that day, Orlene intensified, reaching Category 2 hurricane. Strengthening continued as Orlene estimated a well-defined
eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...
with a diameter of , and at 06:00 UTC the next day, Orlene became a Category 3 hurricane. Six hours later, Orlene peaked as a Category 4 major hurricane with
maximum sustained wind The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a certain distance from the center, known as the radius of ma ...
s of and a
minimum central pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as air pressure or barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1,013.2 ...
of . Southwestern wind shear began to increase, as the eye had become cloud-filled as a result, the hurricane weakened to Category 3 strength. The center of the storm, embedded within an area of cloud top temperatures below . Orlene weakened to Category 2 strength at 03:00 UTC on October 3. Orlene's cloud pattern became less organized, due to the influence of strong southwesterly shear associated with an upper-level trough near
Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
. Orlene made landfall just north of the Nayarit and Sinaloa border's, weakening to a Category 1 strength by 13:45 UTC. By 18:00 UTC, the storms moved inland and weakened, into a tropical storm. Orlene rapidly weakened, becoming a tropical depression at 21:00 UTC that same day. The system later dissipated over
Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...
late on October 4.


Preparations and impact

The Government of Mexico issued a hurricane warning on September 30 for
Islas Marías The Islas Marías ("Mary Islands") make up an archipelago in Mexico, consisting of four islands. They are located in the Pacific Ocean, some off the coast of the state of Nayarit and about southeast of the tip of Baja California. They are part ...
, with tropical storm watches and warnings posted on the coast of San Blas and Manzanillo. In the state of
Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales. It is located in northwest Mexic ...
, emergency shelters were opened. The ports of Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta were closed. According to the Secretary of Tourism of Mazatlan, Rosario Torres Noriega, flights at the airport were suspended due to the approaching storm. Classes were also suspended in
Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...
. Ten municipalities in
Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...
were placed under a "orange" alert. Red alerts were issued for Sinaloa, and
Nayarit Nayarit, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in Municipalities of Nayarit, 20 municipalit ...
. More than 300 operational officers and different dependencies were deployed. The State Civil Protection (UEPC) of the Government of
Colima Colima, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima, is among the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima is a small state of western Mexico on the cen ...
were advised to take necessary precautions. Orlene brought heavy rains that caused landslide in Durango-Mazatlán Superhighway. Orlene produced large swells, affecting areas from the west coast of
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 ...
. In the municipality of Escuinapa, heavy winds brought down an electricity tower, causing the area to be left without power. Fallen poles and downed trees were reported throughout El Rosario. Border crossings from the state of Sinaloa into the state of Nayarit were minimalized after Orlene made landfall. Orlene affected families approximately 700 people. 242 schools were impacted, receiving minor damage. In
Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican resort city near the Bahía de Banderas on the Pacific coast of the Mexico, Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara ...
, the hurricane caused widespread flooding in the communities. So far, no victims or significant damage have been reported, according to Nayarit's Secretary of Security, Jorge Rodríguez. Heavy rains were reported across the
Acaponeta Acaponeta is both a municipality and a town in the northern part of the Mexican state of Nayarit. The town is located at the geographical coordinates of . The population of the municipality was 34,665 in the 2005 census, living in a total area of ...
.
Plan DN-III-E The Plan DN-III-E or Civil Relief and Aid Plan for Disasters (Spanish: ''Plan de Auxilio a la Población Civil en Casos de Desastre'') is a series of measures implemented primarily by the Mexican Ministry of National Defense, specifically the Mexic ...
, a disaster relief and rescue plan, was activated in Sinaloa after the passage of Orlene. 80 houses were affected in La Huerta. The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) were deployed its crews to repair the damage caused by the strong winds. The CFE reported 49,092 customers lost electricity across Sinaloa and Nayarit, due to Orlene. Overall, Orlene left at least MX$12 million (US$600,000) of damage in San Blas.


See also

* Weather of 2022 *
Tropical cyclones in 2022 During 2022, tropical cyclones formed in seven major bodies of water, commonly known as tropical cyclone basins. Tropical cyclones were named by various weather agencies when they attained maximum sustained winds of . During the year, 133 syste ...
* List of Category 4 Pacific hurricanes * Other storms of the same name *
Hurricane Patricia Hurricane Patricia was the most powerful tropical cyclone on record worldwide in terms of maximum sustained winds and the second-most intense on record worldwide in terms of pressure, with a minimum atmospheric pressure of 872 mbar (hPa; ), beh ...
— Hit the same areas 7 years before *
Tropical Storm Sonia (2013) Tropical Storm Sonia was a weak, late-season tropical cyclone that made a rare landfall in the Mexican state of Sinaloa during early-November 2013. Meteorological history The origins of Tropical Storm Sonia can be traced to a well-defined active ...
— Hit the same areas *
Hurricane Roslyn (2022) Hurricane Roslyn was a powerful tropical cyclone that struck the Pacific coast of Mexico in October 2022. The nineteenth named storm, tenth hurricane, and fourth major hurricane of the 2022 Pacific hurricane season, Roslyn formed on October  ...
— Category 4 hurricane that hit the same areas two weeks later


References


External links

* The National Hurricane Center'
advisory archive on Hurricane Orlene
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orlene 2022 Pacific hurricane season Tropical cyclones in 2022 Category 4 Pacific hurricanes October 2022 in Mexico 2022 in Mexico Pacific hurricanes in Mexico