Tropical Storm Sonia was a weak, late-season tropical cyclone that made a rare landfall in the Mexican 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 ...

during early-November 2013.

Meteorological history

The origins of Tropical Storm Sonia can be traced to a well-defined active phase of the

Madden–Julian oscillation The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is the largest element of the intraseasonal (30- to 90-day) variability in the tropical atmosphere. It was discovered in 1971 by Roland Madden and Paul Julian of the American National Center for Atmospheric ...

(MJO) that traversed eastward from the Central Pacific during late-October 2013. This was credited to the development of a very-broad low-level cyclonic circulation, over an area of nearly 15° of

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...

well 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 ...

. 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 ...

located several hundred miles to the south 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 ...

gradually entered the cyclonic circulation late on October 26, producing deep

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 ...

. Over the next couple of days convective activity halted, until becoming active again following the passage of the MJO on October 29, aiding the formation of 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), the l ...

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 ...

. The trough slowly drifted northward in a passage between a mid-level

ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...

over the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

and a deep mid-to-upper level trough over the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...

. At 6:00 UTC the next day, 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) began to monitor the disturbance for potential

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 ...

over the next few days.

Preparations and impact

In advance of Sonia, a

Tropical Storm 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 ...

was ordered for the coast of

from

Topolobampo Topolobampo () is a port on the Gulf of California in northwestern Sinaloa, Mexico. It is the fourth-largest town in the municipality of Ahome (after Los Mochis, Ahome, and Higuera de Zaragoza), reporting a 2010 census population of 6,361 inhab ...

to La Cruz, late on November 2. This was later upgraded to a Tropical Storm Warning from

Altata Altata is a small town in Navolato Municipality Municipality of Navolato is a municipality in the Mexican state of Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the north ...

Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican list of states of Mexico, state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding , known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast across from th ...

, Sinaloa at 9:00 UTC the next day, with a Tropical Storm Watch remaining from Altata to Topolobampo. Though just 24 hours later, all watches and warnings for Sinaloa were discontinued by the

Government of Mexico The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the Mexico, United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the ...

. An overall green alert was issued for Mexico by the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS), signifying a low-level of danger.

Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection The Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection ( or SSPC) is a cabinet-level agency of the government of Mexico responsible for supervising public safety and security, including the Commission for the Attention of Intentional Homicide, Natio ...

(SSCP) declared an orange alert for southern

Baja California Sur Baja California Sur, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur, is a state in Mexico. It is the 31st and last state to be admitted, in 1974. It is also the second least populated Mexican state and the ninth-largest state by ...

, a yellow alert for central and southern Sinaloa, a green alert for northern Baja California Sur, northern Sinaloa, southern

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

, southern Chihuahua,

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

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 ...

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

, and the

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 ...

. In addition, a blue alert was put in effect for central Sonora and central Chihuahua. Ahead of the storm, classes were cancelled in five municipalities of Sinaloa. Local officials prepared more than 60 temporary shelters in

Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Luke the Evangelist, Saint Luke Cape (geography), Cape"), also known simply as Cabo, is a Resort town, resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the Mexican Political divisions of Mexico, state of Baja ...

and Sinaloa. The Port of Cabo San Lucas shut down on November 3 with the threat of Sonia, closing to ships with more than 500 tons (1 million lbs.) of cargo. Tourists boats meant for water activities were also prohibited from leaving port. As a precautionary measure, over 1,000 residents were evacuated in the cities of

Culiacán Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico, the capital and largest city of both Culiacán Municipality and the state of Sinaloa. The city was founded on 29 September 1531 by the Spanish conquistadors Lázaro de ...

and

Navolato Navolato is a city in the List of states of Mexico, Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is located in the central coastal part of the state bordering the Gulf of California and serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding Navolato Municipality, muni ...

. Sonia made landfall near

El Dorado, Sinaloa Eldorado is a municipality in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is located about south of the state capital of Culiacán. It was created from the municipality of Culiacán in 2021 and it became operational on 1 November 2024. Geography The muni ...

as a rapidly weakening tropical storm on November 4, causing heavy rainfall over portions of Mexico. Several inches of precipitation was recorded in Cabo San Lucas along with winds of around 30 mph (50 km/h), as the storm passed close to the resort city. Heavy precipitation also occurred in the states of

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 ...

, Chihuahua, and

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of above sea level it is pre ...

. In Nayarit, one person was killed after being struck by lightning according to the

Secretariat of National Defense The Mexican Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA; ) is the government department responsible for managing Mexico's Army and Air Forces. Its head is the Secretary of National Defense who, like the co-equal Secretary of the Navy, is directly answe ...

(SEDENA). Overall damage was minor, with estimates in Sinaloa is estimated to be MXN$8.8 million (US$690,000).

References

External links

* The NHC'
advisory archive on Tropical Storm Sonia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonia (2013) Eastern Pacific tropical storms 2013 Pacific hurricane season Tropical cyclones in 2012 November 2013 in Mexico 2013 in Mexico Hurricanes in Nayarit Hurricanes in Jalisco Hurricanes in Durango Hurricanes in Chihuahua Hurricanes in Aguascalientes

Meteorological history

Preparations and impact

See also

References

External links