Hurricane Beatriz slams into Mexico; heavy rains, tornadoes hit the Midwest
Hurricane Beatriz plowed into the Pacific coast of Mexico near La Fortuna this morning as a Category 1 hurricane with 90 mph winds, bringing very heavy rains and mudslides to a 200-mile stretch of coast. Acapulco reported 5.20" of rain yesterday, and one injury due to a falling free. Hurricane-force winds extend outwards 25 miles from the center of Beatriz, and these winds are likely to cause moderate damage along a 200-mile stretch of the Mexican coast today as the storm moves northwestwards towards Cabo Corrientes. However, the primary threat from the storm will be heavy rain, and the expected rains of 6 - 12" are likely to cause very dangerous flooding and mudslides today and Wednesday morning. Satellite loops reveal that Beatriz weakened significantly over the past few hours, once the eye moved over land. The mountainous terrain of coastal Mexico will continue to tear up the storm today, and Beatriz will likely be a weak tropical storm by the time it moves back out to sea on Wednesday.
Figure 1. Morning satellite image of Hurricane Beatriz over the Pacific coast of Mexico taken at 9:30am EDT June 21, 2011. Image credit: NASA/GSFC.
Tornadoes, heavy rain slam the Midwest
Severe thunderstorms rumbled through a wide section of the Midwest yesterday, generating numerous tornadoes, baseball-sized hail, and heavy flooding rains. The storm also brought heavy snow to the mountains of Colorado above 9,500 feet, an unusual occurrence for so late in June. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center logged 43 preliminary tornado reports yesterday in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Texas, and North Dakota. The tornadoes mostly avoided populated areas, and only sporadic damage was reported. Perhaps the most significant impact of the storm was the large area of 1 - 4 inches of rain it dropped on Nebraska and South Dakota. This rain will run off into the Missouri River, further aggravating the flooding that has breached two levees and overtopped two other levees in the past week. The large, slow-moving low pressure system responsible for the rains and severe weather will bring additional heavy rains of 1 - 3 inches over portions of the Missouri River watershed today, and will touch off a new round of severe weather today and Wednesday as the storm progresses slowly eastwards. However, the Storm Prediction Center is issuing only their "Slight Risk" forecast for severe weather for both days.
Figure 2. Radar reflectivity image of a supercell thunderstorm with a classic hook echo. The storm spawned a tornado that hit Elm Creek, Nebraska yesterday. The tornado ripped the roofs off of several houses and tore down power lines.
The Atlantic is quiet
The Atlantic is quiet, with no tropical cyclones predicted over the next seven days by the reliable computer models.
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
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don't worry, by morning you guys should get something that resembles precipitation.
This has been my thinking as well. Overall, SSTs in the MDR are substantially cooler than they were last year. However, they are still plenty warm to support development. Besides, SSTs don't really matter all that much anyway, TCHP does.
I doubt we'll witness another 2005 for another 60 years, if even that.
I saw the blow up on the water vapor and was hoping for you folks. It will eventually come, it will come just hang on! We're all hoping for you!!!
I don't think they will classify this as a landfall. I think that's when 50% of the eye crosses the coast, but i am happy to be corrected on that?
Remove the picture please, some people might find that offensive and degrading.
Agreed, my first reaction was not positive in this either. Can anybody say EWWWW!
Direct Hit:
A close approach of a tropical cyclone to a particular location. For locations on the left-hand side of a tropical cyclone's track (looking in the direction of motion), a direct hit occurs when the cyclone passes to within a distance equal to the cyclone's radius of maximum wind. For locations on the right-hand side of the track, a direct hit occurs when the cyclone passes to within a distance equal to twice the radius of maximum wind. Compare indirect hit, strike.
Strike:
For any particular location, a hurricane strike occurs if that location passes within the hurricane's strike circle, a circle of 125 n mi diameter, centered 12.5 n mi to the right of the hurricane center (looking in the direction of motion). This circle is meant to depict the typical extent of hurricane force winds, which are approximately 75 n mi to the right of the center and 50 n mi to the left
This is not a second year La Nina, BTW
Beatriz is no longer a tropical cyclone as of the latest 11 PM EST advisory from the NHC. Based upon this, it went from hurricane to dissipation in less than 15 hours.
WOW, I have never seen something like it
It is because of how the winter and spring went down in La Nina conditions. Regardless of whether we are in neutral during the summer or not, the global energy budget for the year is largely defined by the ENSO state during the spring, which is usually weakening towards neutral in most years.
looks like something going on around Nicaragua to me?
It's quite common in the eastern Pacific. The blog just doesn't pay very much attention to the Pacific fish storms in the middle of the Atlantic season when there are true land threats, and thus we miss most of the spectacular dissipations. Adrian did it too.
I'm sure the people on the Texas coast would enjoy that senerio!
Thanks, seriously this board is about weather not nasty cheap....
Thanks (maybe I got my names mixed up)...I need to check the archive charts on that one....What year was that again?
Could you post the image of where you are getting this and then explain what toured trying to say please?
I'm curious
2004. Same town, just a couple miles apart.
Frances and Jeanne in 2004?
The rain here has been minimal but we're supposed to get another chance tomorrow. I just ran across this when trying to find out about Texas droughts. So I guess everything's normal here.
Hurricanes
One major weather condition threats Texas every year. The Texas Gulf Coast is in the line of fire of deadly hurricanes from mid-summer through fall. These monster storms come ashore with torrential rains, powerful winds and a deadly storm surge. Hurricanes come ashore in Texas about every three years, on average. As of 2011, the deadliest hurricane to hit the state was in 1900. More 8,000 people were killed on Galveston Island when the hurricane's storm surge covered the entire land surface of the island.
Drought
All of Texas is susceptible to drought. Each decade of its history has brought a period of severe drought to the state. Streams dry up, crops die and brush fires rage in this challenging weather condition. Some droughts have plagued Texas in excess of five years. Texas droughts tend to end because of the torrential rain associated with tropical storms.
I'm guessing this happens due to the expansive marine layer that encompasses most of the Eastern Pacific.
:D
That's some very welcomed news.
That soaking rain is falling in some of the worst drought stricken areas in Texas:
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