Hurricane Carlotta nears Mexico coast with 80 mph winds

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Storm surge, mountain floods and mudslides expected

Hurricane Carlotta, far left, is growing and strengthening rapidly near the southern coast of Mexico.

Hurricane Carlotta forecast track map

Hurricane Carlotta could move along the coast of southern Mexico the next few days.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Hurricane  warnings are in effect for several hundred miles along the Pacific coast of Mexico including Acapulco, as Hurricane Carlotta approaches the area with winds that could reach 100 mph early in the weekend.

The biggest concerns are for a dangerous storm surge that will produce significant coastal flooding, along with powerful and destructive waves. Rainfall totals are forecast to reach 3 to 5 inches in Chiapas and northern Oaxaca, with higher amounts up 10 15 inches in the mountains of southern Oaxaca, where mudslides and flash flooding are possible.

The latest forecast track nudges Carlotta a bit farther north before the hurricane turns west again, which means the storm could weaken and even fall apart if it runs into the high mountains of southern Mexico, but the exact track has been hard to pinpoint. Carlotta could rake a large part of Mexico’s southern coast with high winds and heavy rains.

Officially, wind speeds are forecast to reach 90 mph by Friday evening and 100 mph by Saturday morning as the center nears the coast.

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Hurricane Dora spurs tropical storm warnings for Baja

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

The AIRS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this infrared image of Hurricane Dora's cold cloud temperatures on July 21 at 09:05 UTC (5:05 a.m. EDT). The strongest thunderstorms and convection (purple) surround the very obvious, cloud-free eye. Image from NASA?JPL, Ed Olsen.

Storm expected to weaken Friday, but will still be felt along the Baja Peninsula

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Exactly one month after Hurricane Beatriz raked the coast of southern Mexico, another major storm is moving up the shoreline of the the country, taking aim at Baja, where tropical storm warnings are now in effect.

Hurricane Dora verged on Category 5 status Thursday before starting to weaken as it moved over cooler water and ran into some wind shear. At its peak, Dora had sustained winds of 155 mph. Friday night, Dora was rated as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 125 mph.

Dora’s center will likely remain off shore, but the large storm battered parts of the Mexican cost with large swells, resulting in some coastal flooding. Tropical storm force winds extend out 150 miles from the center of the storm, with hurricane force winds extending 50 miles from the center of the storm.

Tropical storm conditions, including heavy rain, high winds and pounding surf are expected to reach the warning area by Friday night, with large swells generating life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

The remnants of Dora could also become a player in the Colorado weather the next few days, as some of the moisture it’s carrying up from the Pacific may funnel across the desert Southwest and into the high country. That moisture could bring some relief to drought-stricken parts of the Southwest, including Arizona and New Mexico.

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Hurricane Beatriz rakes Mexico’s Pacific coast

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Hurricane Beatriz off the Pacific coast of Mexico in a NOAA satellite image.

Category 1 storm taking aim at Puerto Vallarta

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Although the National Hurricane Center is predicting a 70 percent chance of a below-normal hurricane season in the eastern Pacific, the second named storm of the summer — Hurricane Beatriz — has formed and is expected to rake the Mexican coast between Zihjuatanejo and Manzanillo the next few days.

Beatriz strengthened to hurricane force Monday (June 20) and is tracking along the coast with sustained winds of 90 mph reaching about 25 miles outward from its center. Tropical storm-force winds extend outward about 100 miles from the center. The storm will affect the shore and coastal mountains in Guerrero, Jalisco, Colima and Michoacan. (more…)

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