Tropical Storm Boris (2014)
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Tropical Storm Boris was a weak and short-lived
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...
that brought rainfall to the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec The Isthmus of Tehuantepec () is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Before the opening of the Panama Canal, it was a major overland transport route known simply as t ...
and surrounding areas in June 2014. The second
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 ...
of the
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
, Boris developed from the interaction of a low-level
trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), th ...
and a
Kelvin wave A Kelvin wave is a wave in the ocean or atmosphere that balances the Earth's Coriolis force against a topographic boundary such as a coastline, or a waveguide such as the equator. A feature of a Kelvin wave is that it is non-dispersive, i.e., t ...
south of Mexico late on June 2. Initially a tropical depression, the system moved generally northward and strengthened into Tropical Storm Boris by midday on June 3. About six hours later, Boris peaked 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 distance defined as the radius of maximum wind, or RMW. U ...
s of 45 mph (75 km/h) – indicative of a weak tropical storm. By early on June 4, interaction with land caused the storm to weaken, deteriorating to a tropical depression. Later that day, Boris degenerated into a
remnant low A post-tropical cyclone is a former tropical cyclone that no longer possesses enough tropical qualities to be considered a tropical cyclone. The word may refer to a former tropical cyclone undergoing extratropical transition or a tropical cyclone ...
pressure, before fully dissipating over the
Gulf of Tehuantepec Gulf of Tehuantepec () is a large body of water on the Pacific coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, southeastern Mexico, at . Many (but not all) Pacific hurricanes form in or near this body of water. A strong, gale-force wind called the Teh ...
on June 5. As Boris approached land,
tropical cyclone warnings and watches 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 popul ...
were issued, school classes were canceled, and evacuations occurred in Southwestern Mexico and portions of Guatemala. The precursor to Boris and the storm itself brought heavy rainfall to area. In Mexico, overflowing streams left minor damage in
Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil and Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 124 municipalities ...
; four people were injured when a house partially collapsed. One death was reported in the country when a tree fell at a high school in
Xalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and t ...
. Flooding in Guatemala forced 198 people to flee their homes. A mudslide caused five deaths and injured seven others. Overall, 20 mudslides were reported, damaging 13 roads. Additionally, 223 homes were damaged, including 11 severely. More than 5,000 people were left isolated in
Quetzaltenango Quetzaltenango (, also known by its Maya name Xelajú or Xela ) is both the seat of the namesake Department and municipality, in Guatemala. The city is located in a mountain valley at an elevation of above sea level at its lowest part. It ma ...
after a portion of the main road to the city was inundated by water.


Meteorological history

Early on May 30, 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 Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...
(NHC) began monitoring an area of disturbed weather, perhaps in connection to 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 ...
, several hundred miles south of southeastern Mexico for tropical development within a five-day period. Within an increasingly favorable environment for formation, the disturbance was assigned a medium chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within the next 48 hours later that day, and a high chance of development on May 31 as it became increasingly better organized. In conjunction with a ship observation and satellite intensity estimates, the disturbance acquired enough organization to be deemed a tropical depression at 2100 UTC on June 2. Over the subsequent hours after its formation, little change in organization was noted, with multiple low-level centers rotating within a broader circulation positioned on the south side of the deepest convection. However, a pair of Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) passes early on June 3 revealed sustained winds just above the tropical storm threshold, and the depression was subsequently upgraded to Tropical Storm Boris. Despite initial forecasts of several days over water, the center of circulation moved quickly northward in response to an upper-level low west of the system, and the bulk of Boris's deep convection moved ashore near
Chiapas, Mexico Chiapas (; Tzotzil and Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 124 municipalities a ...
around 0600 UTC on June 4. However, the cyclone's northward motion slowed, and the low-level circulation remained offshore, failing to ever make landfall. Thereafter, the system degenerated into a
trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), th ...
of low pressure about 80 mi (130 km) east-northeast of
Salina Cruz, Mexico Salina Cruz is a major seaport on the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is the state's third-largest city and is the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the ...
.


Preparations and impact

A few
tropical cyclone warnings and watches 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 popul ...
were issued as Tropical Storm Boris approached Southwestern Mexico. At 21:00 UTC on June 2, a tropical storm watch was posted from
Salina Cruz Salina Cruz is a major seaport on the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is the state's third-largest city and is the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the ...
,
Oaxaca ) , population_note = , population_rank = 10th , timezone1 = CST , utc_offset1 = −6 , timezone1_DST = CDT , utc_offset1_DST = −5 , postal_code_type = Postal ...
, to the Mexico–Guatemala border, which was upgraded to a tropical storm warning early the following day. The tropical storm warning was discontinued by 09:00 UTC on June 4. In
Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil and Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 124 municipalities ...
, 122 municipalities were placed on alert and schools were suspended in four of them. All but four municipalities in Chiapas were placed on "yellow" alert, while the remaining four were placed on "orange" alert. Statewide, around 16,000 were evacuated. Education services were suspended for 30 municipalities in
Oaxaca ) , population_note = , population_rank = 10th , timezone1 = CST , utc_offset1 = −6 , timezone1_DST = CDT , utc_offset1_DST = −5 , postal_code_type = Postal ...
. Comisión Nacional del Agua warned residents to expect up to of precipitation in Chiapas and Oaxaca, of rain in
Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
and
Tabasco Tabasco (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco), is one of the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa. It is located in ...
, and in
Campeche Campeche (; yua, Kaampech ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by ...
and
Quintana Roo Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...
. Due to the threat of mudslides in Guatemala, classes were suspended in nine school districts, affecting 1.25 million pupils. "Orange" and "yellow" alerts were also posted for the entire country. A total of 434 emergency response teams were set up to deal with landslides. Boris and its precursor disturbance brought heavy precipitation to Guatemala, peaking at in
Mazatenango, Suchitepéquez Mazatenango is a city with a population of 77,431 (as of 2018)Citypopulation.de
Population of cities & towns ...
. Over 5,000 people were left isolated in
Quetzaltenango Quetzaltenango (, also known by its Maya name Xelajú or Xela ) is both the seat of the namesake Department and municipality, in Guatemala. The city is located in a mountain valley at an elevation of above sea level at its lowest part. It ma ...
, after heavy rainfall left about of the main road to the city inundated with water. Five people were killed in a mudslide, seven were hurt, and 55 were evacuated in Guatemala. A total of 223 homes were damaged, including 11 severely. Twenty landslides were reported, resulting in damage to 13 roads. One hundred ninety-eight people sought shelter. Throughout Southwestern Mexico, rainfall amounts of were common, though the highest total observed was at Tres Picos, Chiapas. In that state, some streams overflowed their banks, resulting in minor damage. There, four minor injuries occurred when a house partially collapsed. Inland, in
Xalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and t ...
, a high school student died and three others were wounded when a tree fell on campus. Overall, damage totaled at MXN$700 million (
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
54.1 million), including MXN$689 million (US$53.2 million) to infrastructure. Following the storm, aid was quickly provided to victims. Authorities authorized the delivery of 41,700 mats, and of water.


See also

* Other storms of the same name *
Tropical Storm Barbara (2007) Tropical Storm Barbara was the first tropical cyclone to make landfall during the 2007 Pacific hurricane season. The second storm of the season, Barbara developed from a small low-pressure area on May 29 about 235 miles (380 km) southe ...
*
Tropical Storm Andres (1997) Tropical Storm Andres is one of only three tropical cyclones on record to strike El Salvador. The first named storm of the active 1997 Pacific hurricane season, Andres formed on June 1 off the coast of Mexico. It initially moved toward the coast, ...
*
Tropical Storm Beatriz (1993) The 1993 Pacific hurricane season included more than double the average number of major hurricanes – Category 3 or stronger cyclones on the Saffir–Simpson scale. This activity was the result of an El Niño event, which is the main factor ...
*
Hurricane Carlotta (2012) Hurricane Carlotta was the easternmost tropical cyclone in the Eastern Pacific to make landfall at hurricane intensity since 1966. The third tropical cyclone and third named storm of the 2012 Pacific hurricane season, Carlotta developed slowly in ...
*
Hurricane Barbara (2013) Hurricane Barbara was the easternmost landfalling Pacific hurricane on record. As the first hurricane of the 2013 Pacific hurricane season, Barbara developed from a low-pressure area while located southeast of Mexico on May 28. It headed sl ...


References


External links


National Hurricane Center's advisory archive on Boris

National Hurricane Center's graphics archive on Boris
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boris (2014) 2014 Pacific hurricane season Hurricanes in Guatemala Pacific hurricanes in Mexico Eastern Pacific tropical storms
Boris Boris may refer to: People * Boris (given name), a male given name *:''See'': List of people with given name Boris * Boris (surname) * Boris I of Bulgaria (died 907), the first Christian ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire, canonized after hi ...