Tropical Storm Harvey was the final

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 ...

in a record-breaking string of eight consecutive storms that failed to attain hurricane intensity. The eighth tropical cyclone and eighth

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

2011 Atlantic hurricane season The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season was the second in a group of three very active Atlantic hurricane seasons, each with 19 named storms, tied with 1887, 1995, 2010, and 2012. The above-average activity was mostly due to a La Niña that persist ...

, Harvey developed from 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 ...

in the western Caribbean Sea on August 19. It moved over warm waters in the vicinity of Central America. Later on August 19, the system strengthened into Tropical Storm Harvey while just offshore

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

. Additional organization occurred and Harvey attained its peak intensity of 65 mph (100 km/h) prior to coming ashore Belize on August 20. Harvey weakened to a tropical depression on August 21, but re-intensified to a tropical storm after emerging into the

Bay of Campeche The Bay of Campeche (), or Campeche Sound, is a bight in the southern area of the Gulf of Mexico, forming the north side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz. The ...

. Early on August 22, it 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 ...

in Veracruz, then weakened and dissipated several hours later. The precursor disturbance caused thunderstorms throughout the Lesser Antilles, producing squally weather and gusty winds. On

Saint Croix Saint Croix ( ; ; ; ; Danish language, Danish and ; ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands, district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an Unin ...

in the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

, gusty winds downed trees, which struck power lines, leaving minor electrical outages. Along its path, Harvey dropped heavy rainfall across much of Central America. Strong winds and heavy precipitation were reported in the country of Belize. Heavy rains in Mexico triggered numerous

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...

s, one of which killed 3 people. Landslides in damaged 36 homes and 334 homes in the states of

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

and

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

, respectively. Heavy rainfall also caused rivers to overflow, damaging homes and businesses. Two additional people died in Mexico from unknown causes.

Meteorological history

exited the west coast of Africa on August 10. The wave was accompanied by a weak center of low pressure and patches of moderate to strong convection. In response, 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 potential for the wave to develop into a tropical cyclone. The wave continued westward at and became less vigorous over the next several days, with no strong convection present on August 13. Sporadic convection redeveloped over the course of the following day. Early the next day, the system was analyzed as an area of low pressure between

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

and Saint Vincent and an inverted trough extending well to the north. The wave moved westward through the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

and produced areas of heavy showers and thunderstorms, although convection on the northern side of the system was limited, possibly a result of excessive Saharan dust. Mid-level cyclonic turning became more pronounced by early on August 17. Although a closed center of circulation was still lacking, conditions were becoming more favorable for the

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 ...

. By early on August 18, the NHC issued a "high chance" of the wave becoming a tropical cyclone within 48 hours. After a low-level circulation became identifiable, the system was designated as Tropical Depression Eight at 1800 UTC on August 18, while located about east-northeast of

Cape Gracias a Dios Cabo Gracias a Dios is a cape located in the middle of the east coast of Central America, within what is variously called the Mosquito Coast and La Mosquitia. It is the point where the Rio Coco flows into the Caribbean, and is the border betwe ...

. Steered by a building

high pressure area A high-pressure area, high, or anticyclone, is an area near the surface of a planet where the atmospheric pressure is greater than the pressure in the surrounding regions. Highs are middle-scale meteorological features that result from interpl ...

over the Gulf of Mexico, the cyclone remained on its westward course and was expected to move westward throughout its duration. Continuing to deepen, Tropical Depression Eight strengthened into Tropical Storm Harvey at 1200 UTC on August 19. Harvey continued to strengthen throughout the afternoon, with an improved appearance on visible satellite imagery and good outflow across the northwestern part of the storm. A discussion by the NHC early on August 20 indicated the potential for Harvey to strengthen into a hurricane prior to landfall, but this never materialized. At 0600 UTC on August 20, the storm attained its minimum

barometric 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 . Winds increased slightly further, and at 1730 UTC on August 20, Harvey made landfall near

Dangriga Dangriga, formerly known as Stann Creek Town, is a town in southern Belize, located on the Caribbean Sea, Caribbean coast at the mouth of the North Stann Creek River. It is the capital of Belize's Stann Creek District. Dangriga is served by the ...

, Belize with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h). While located over northeastern Guatemala early on August 21, the system weakened to a tropical depression. Harvey reached the Bay of Campeche early on August 22, where a convective burst allowed it to briefly re-strengthen into a tropical storm. By 0200 UTC, Harvey made landfall near Punta Roca Partida,

with winds of 40 mph (65 km/h). The system weakened back to a tropical depression at 0600 UTC on August 22. About twelve hours later, Harvey dissipated over

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

Preparations and impact

Caribbean Sea

Prior to becoming a tropical cyclone, Harvey's precursor disturbance produced squally conditions, including intermittent torrents and gusty winds, to much of the Lesser Antilles. Coinciding with the typical rainy season, which lasts from July to October and is characterized by frequent tropical waves, the wave triggered heavy rainfall on the island of

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

. Precipitation totals commonly exceeded , and across the mountains of the

Basse-Terre Basse-Terre (, ; ; ) is a communes of the Guadeloupe department, commune in the France, French overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the ''prefectures in France, pref ...

area, up to of rainfall was reported. On

, a sensor at Salt River Bay recorded a wind gust of . Strong winds brought down one large tree and resulted in minor power outages, although workers quickly arrived to restore electricity. Despite an urban and small-stream flood advisory for the island, minimal precipitation was recorded. Under of rain fell on Saint Croix, while just a trace of precipitation was observed on Saint Thomas. The system brushed

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

as it passed to south, with wind gusts reaching . Mostly minor damage was reported. Scattered shower and thunderstorm activity also affected parts of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

, where residents were warned of the potential for flash flooding and mudslides and for the potential for rivers to rise above their banks.

Central America and Mexico

With the storm expected to continue on its westward track, tropical storm watches were posted for the northern of

and the Caribbean coast of

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

. Tropical storm warnings were issued for the coast of

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

, the southeastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, and the Bay Islands Department of Honduras. A "red alert" was declared for five departments of Honduras, including Colón, Atlantida, Cortés, and Islas de la Bahia. Two other departments, Gracias a Dios and

Yoro Yoro, with a population of 101,849 (2022 calculation), is the capital city of the Yoro Department of Honduras and the municipal seat of Yoro Municipality. It is notable for a local event known as Lluvia de Peces, where it is claimed that strong ...

, were under a "yellow alert". Additionally, a "green alert" was issued for the departments of Olancho and Santa Bárbara. Shelters were prepared in case of an evacuation. Rainfall in Honduras peaked at in

Roatán Roatán () is an island in the Caribbean, about off the northern coast of Honduras. The largest of the Bay Islands Department, Bay Islands of Honduras, it is located between the islands of Utila and Guanaja. It is approximately long, and le ...

, located in the

Bay Islands Department The Bay Islands (; ) is a group of islands off the Caribbean coast of Honduras. Collectively, the islands form one of the 18 departments of Honduras. The departmental capital is Coxen Hole, on the island of Roatán. Geography The Bay Islands co ...

. However, no damage was reported in the country. In Belize, between of rainfall was reported in the southern districts, while fell in

Belmopan Belmopan () is the capital city of Belize. Its population in 2010 was 16,451. Belmopan is the smallest capital city in the continental Americas (by population) and the third-largest settlement in Belize, behind Belize City and San Ignacio. Fou ...

. This caused flash flooding in low-lying areas. Some houses were damaged and destroyed in Crooked Tree. Additionally, a church at San Lazaro in

Orange Walk District Orange Walk is a Districts of Belize, district in the northwest of the nation of Belize, with its district capital in Orange Walk Town. Demographics Main settlements The Orange Walk District, with an area of 1,829 square miles (4,636 square km), ...

suffered severe damage. A tornado also caused wind damage in a few villages in northern Belize. As outer

rainband A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands in tropical cyclones can be either stratiform or convective and are curved in shape. They consist of showers and th ...

s began to drop heavy precipitation in parts of northern

, authorities issued orange alerts for high-risk areas, with a yellow alert remaining in effect nationwide. In Mexico, heavy rains from Harvey triggered several landslides, one of which killed three people. Two other people died from unknown causes. The most significant impact took place in

where 334 homes were damaged by the storm. In

Guerrero Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...

, significant flooding damaged a bridge and isolated the town of Xaltianguis. Heavy rains in

caused several rivers to overflow their banks, causing moderate flooding in several towns and cities. Landslides associated with the system damaged 36 homes and affected three highways in the state.

References

External links