Tropical Storm Agatha (2010)

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Tropical storm Agatha
Tropical Storm ( SSHWS )
Satellite image of Tropical Storm Agatha on May 29th
Satellite image of Tropical Storm Agatha on May 29th
Emergence May 29, 2010
resolution May 30, 2010
Peak wind
speed
45  mph (75  km / h ) (sustained for 1 minute)
Lowest air pressure 1001  mbar ( hPa ; 29.6  inHg )
dead 180 direct, 100 missing
Property damage Unknown
Affected
areas 		Central America
Season overview:
2010 Pacific hurricane season

The Tropical Storm Agatha was a weak, yet disastrous tropical cyclone , the extensive flooding in Central America caused. The storm claimed the highest number of lives in the eastern Pacific since Hurricane Pauline in the 1997 Pacific hurricane season . The first storm of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season originated in the Inertropical Convergence Zone , a thunderstorm zone within the tropics. The resulting weather disturbance developed into a tropical low pressure area on May 29th , which briefly intensified into a tropical storm with maximum sustained wind speeds of 75 km / h and a minimum air pressure in the core of 1000 hPa, but already overflowed on May 30th the mainland in Guatemala dissolved. Prior to the dissolution, Agatha arrived overland near the Guatemala-Mexico border on the evening of May 29. Agatha brought heavy rain to Central America, which led to personal injury in several countries. At least 180 people were killed. A person died in Nicaragua . At least 152 people were killed in Guatemala, and over 100 were still missing four days after the storm landed. The storm claimed nine lives in El Salvador and at least 16 in Honduras.

Storm course

Train

Agatha started in an area of ​​convection and thunderstorms that developed off the west coast of Costa Rica on May 24th. At the time, a trough extended into the region that extended into the southwestern Caribbean Sea and was connected to the intertropical convergence zone. The system slowly drifted northwest and conditions appeared favorable for further tropical cyclogenesis . On May 25, the convection began to become more concentrated and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) determined that there was potential for a tropical depression to develop. The next day, the system appeared more disorganized as the atmospheric circulation expanded and rolled out. However, the disturbance was in a very humid environment and several low-level circulations gradually consolidated into one. So the system gradually organized itself better; however, a well-defined circulation was still missing. On May 29th, after circulation and convection continued to improve, the NHC began issuing Tropical Depression One-E warnings . At that time, the center of the system was about 475 km west of San Salvador .

When the system a tropical cyclone was, it was in an environment with little wind shear and the water had a surface temperature of 30 ° C . Therefore, the system was expected to intensify, even though the mountains on the Central American coast hampered significant amplification. The low pressure area slowly migrates northeastward past the western periphery of a high pressure ridge over northern South America. A few hours later, the images from the satellites observing the system indicated that wind speeds were at gale strength, so that the NHC upgraded the low pressure area to Tropical Storm Agatha. At the time, there was a forty percent chance of rapid intensification within 24 hours, with proximity to the mainland being the only limiting factor.

Satellite image of the remaining depth of Agatha in the western Caribbean on June 1st

However, the storm did not manage to intensify significantly; it reaches its peak with constant peak wind speeds of 75 km / h and an air pressure of 1000 hPa. Within two hours of reaching this strength, Agatha abruptly shifted northward and crossed the coast near the Guatemalan-Mexico border.

Over the mainland, Agatha continued to cause flash floods , high tides and landslides , although the winds that got ashore barely reached gale force. Over land, the storm quickly lost its force and the sustained wind speeds fell to 40 km / h and the central air pressure rose to 1007 hPa before the system dissolved. An outbreak of convection came across the Caribbean waters east of Belize in the Atlantic basin on May 31 , but the remaining depths of Agatha could no longer develop tropical properties.

Preparations

When the tropical disturbance was developing, it produced heavy rainfall on the Pacific coast from Nicaragua to the Gulf of Tehuantepec , so the NHC warned of life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. As the system developed into a tropical cyclone, storm warnings were issued for the coast of El Salvador and Guatemala. The NHC indicated that Agatha has the potential for rainfall levels of 250 to 500mm. Authorities in Guatemala warned the population that the floods expected from Agatha would be worse than the floods that occurred a week before Agatha arrived, killing nine people. Meteorologists in Mexico predicted up to 100 mm of precipitation in the southern states in connection with Agatha. Because of the risk of flash floods occurring, the authorities in El Salvador and Nicaragua moved around 2,000 people to safer zones. The yellow warning level was declared for the entire country in El Salvador because the authorities assumed that around 89 percent of the country was at risk of flooding. Around 52,000 police, rescue workers and soldiers were put on standby by the Dirección General de Protección Civil.

Effects

Effects by Agatha by state
Country Victim Missing Damage (USD)
El Salvador 9 2 $ 31.1 million
Guatemala 152 100 $ 1 billion
Honduras 16 9 $ 530 million
Mexico 0 0 minimal
Nicaragua 1 0 unknown
total 179 111 unknown

Nicaragua

Even before the later Storm Agatha developed into a tropical depression, the system generated heavy rain in Nicaragua; this killed one person because they were carried away by a swollen river. Many houses and bridges within the state were destroyed. In Estelí Department , the Nicaraguan Air Force had to rescue 24 people trapped in their homes.

Guatemala

Pacaya volcano erupted two days before the hurricane landed . This is located around 40 km south of Guatemala City . The outbreak claimed their lives and forced more than 2,000 people who lived in the immediate area to flee. Volcanic ash caused the city's international airport to close. Heavy rainfall from the tropical storm was expected to exacerbate the situation for the affected population, and the occurrence of lahars was also feared. However, the workers on the coffee plantations hoped for relief from the rain, as it could wash the volcanic ash from the coffee trees. Guatemalan meteorologists said that by the evening of May 29, at least 350 mm of precipitation had fallen. Several landslides blocked roads, especially in the south of the country, hindering traffic and delaying aid deliveries. After the storm, a hole 30 meters in diameter formed in the capital, into which a three-story house sank.

The geologists do not yet know what caused the hole to form. The geologist Sam Bonis, who has investigated a similar hole that was created just a few streets away after a sewer broke in 2007, protested against the use of the word sinkhole . Rather, in his opinion, there is a risk that sooner or later the entire subsurface will collapse. Much of Guatemala City was built on a volcanic rubble plain. This underground is not stable and could collapse. 1–1.5 million residents of the city live in such a zone.

A landslide in the town of Almolonga in the Quetzaltenango department destroyed a house and killed four residents, twelve people died in the same way in Guatemala City, and eleven people are missing after another landslide. Many more houses were destroyed by floods and dozens of rescue operations had to be carried out to bring the affected residents to safety. President Álvaro Colom told the press: "We believe that Agatha could cause more damage to the country than Hurricane Mitch and Hurricane Stan ". These two hurricanes were among the most devastating tropical cyclones to ever hit Guatemala. They fell victim to 384 and 1,513 people respectively.

Preliminary damage surveys on May 30th showed that at least 3,500 houses were damaged, around 112,000 residents had to leave their homes, and at least 20,000 people were made homeless by the storm. Some areas saw the heaviest rainfall in more than 60 years; some of them reached more than 900 mm. Thus, Agatha was the wettest tropical cyclone on record that has ever hit the country.

Mexico

Satellite image taken when Agatha crossed the coastline on May 29th

In southern Mexico, Agatha led to strong winds and rainfall as well as strong waves with a wave height of two to four meters. At least 120 families have been brought to safety in southeast Chiapas , near the landfall. As a precautionary measure, a yellow alarm was raised because major floods were expected.

Honduras

After Agatha moved inland, the heavy rainfalls associated with the system triggered flash floods and landslides in parts of Honduras. At least 45 homes were destroyed in the state and at least one person was killed. On May 31, the presidents of El Salvador and Honduras declared a state of emergency for their respective states.

El Salvador

Floods also occurred in El Salvador in connection with the heavy rains. In San Salvador and five other cities threatened by floods, civil protection officials urged residents to seek shelter. The highest recorded rainfall in the country was 400mm; however, the storm-related rains continued after the measurement. A total of 188 landslides had been recorded in the state as of May 31. At least nine people died in the country as a result of the tropical storm, and 8,717 people had to be evacuated. Two bridges also collapsed, including one connecting El Salvador to Guatemala.

supporting documents

  1. ^ Agatha deaths rise to 180 in Central America (English) , Associated Press. June 2, 2010. Archived from the original on June 4, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010. 
  2. ^ Lixion A. Avila and Eric S. Blake: Tropical Weather Outlook ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 24, 2010. Accessed on May 28, 2010.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.nhc.noaa.gov
  3. ^ Dave Sandoval, Tropical Weather Discussion ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.nhc.noaa.gov
  4. ^ Lixion A. Avila: Tropical Weather Outlook ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 25, 2010. Accessed on May 28, 2010.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.nhc.noaa.gov
  5. ^ John Cangialosi and Richard J. Pasch: Tropical Weather Outlook ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 26, 2010. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.nhc.noaa.gov
  6. ^ Daniel Brown and David Roberts: Tropical Weather Outlook ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2010-05-2010. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.nhc.noaa.gov
  7. ^ A b Scott Stripling: Tropical Weather Discussion ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 27, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2010.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.nhc.noaa.gov
  8. ^ A b David Brown and Stacey Stewert: Tropical Weather Outlook ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 28, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  9. ^ Lixion A. Aliva and John Cangialosi: Tropical Weather Outlook ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 28, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  10. ^ A b Stacy Stewart: Tropical Depression One-E Special Discussion One ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  11. ^ Stacey Stewart and Todd Kimberlain: Tropical Storm Agatha Discussion Two ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  12. ^ Stacey Stewart and Todd Kimberlain: Tropical Storm Agatha Public Advisory Three ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  13. ^ Lixion A. Avila and John Cangialosi: Tropical Storm Agatha Tropical Cyclone Update ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  14. ↑ National Hurricane Center: Tropical Storm Agatha Wind History ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 30, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  15. ^ Daniel Brown: Tropical Depression Agatha Public Advisory Five ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 30, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  16. ^ John Cangialosi and James Franklin: Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook . National Hurricane Center. June 1, 2010. Accessed June 1, 2010.
  17. ↑ Stewart: Tropical Depression One_E Advisory 1 ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  18. ↑ Season's first tropical storm forms ( English ) Vancouver Sun. May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2010.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.vancouversun.com
  19. ↑ a b EFE: La tormenta tropical "Agatha" tocará tierra guatemalteca el domingo ( Spanish ) ABC Periódico Electrónico. May 29, 2010. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved on May 29, 2010.
  20. ↑ Se ha desarrollado Agatha en el Océano Pacífico ( Spanish ) Met Mex. May 29, 2010. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved on May 29, 2010.
  21. ^ A b Leslie Josephs: Storm prompts El Salvador, Nicaragua evacuations ( English ) Reuters. May 28, 2010. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 2010.
  22. ↑ Se intensifican lluvias de tormenta tropical Agatha en El Salvador ( English ) Eco Daiario. May 29, 2010. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved on May 29, 2010.
  23. ↑ Red de Información Humanitaria: América Central - Tormenta Tropical Agatha Informe de Situación # 3 ( Spanish , PDF ; 65 kB) OCHA . June 9, 2010. Archived from the original on August 12, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  24. ↑ Conred
  25. ↑ Staff writer: Gobierno de Guatemala sigue evaluando daños, mientras muertos aumentan a 172 (Spanish) . In: NTN24 , June 6, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010. 
  26. ↑ Tegucigalpa necesita L 10 mil millones para recuperarse . La Prensa. June 2, 2010. Archived from the original on June 6, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  27. ↑ Staff Writer: Over 1,000 People Evacuated In Nicaragua Due To Heavy Rains ( English ) Inside Costa Rica. May 28, 2010. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved on May 29, 2010.
  28. ↑ Robert Campbell: Guatemala girds for first Pacific storm of season . Reuters. May 29, 2010. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved on May 29, 2010.
  29. ^ Lixion A. Avila and John Cangialosi: Tropical Storm Agatha Public Advisory Three-A ( English ) National Hurricane Center. May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  30. ↑ Peter Walker: Tropical Storm Agatha blows a hole in Guatemala City (English) , The Guardian. June 1, 2010. 
  31. ↑ Michael Reilly: Don't Call The Guatemala Sinkhole a Sinkhole ( English ) Discovery News. June 2, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
  32. ↑ Javier Mines: Heavy rains brought by tropical storm Agatha kill 12 in Guatemala (English) , WireUpdate. May 30, 2010. Archived from the original on June 1, 2010. 
  33. ↑ Mueren cuatro miembros de una familia en Guatemala por la tormenta tropical 'Agatha' ( English ) El Correo. May 29, 2010. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved on May 29, 2010.
  34. ↑ Season's first tropical storm kills 12 in Guatemala ( English ) Agence France-Presse. May 29, 2010. Archived from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved on May 29, 2010.
  35. ↑ Guatemala - Disaster Statistics ( English ) Prevention Web. 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  36. ↑ Storm kills 18 in Central America ( English ) CNN. May 30, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  37. ↑ AAP: Storm leaves 18 dead in Central America ( English ) Herald Sun. May 30, 2010. Archived from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  38. ↑ Death toll from storm Agatha rises in Central America ( English ) BBC News. May 31, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  39. ↑ EFE: La tormenta tropical "Agatha" arrecia sobre el sur de México ( Spanish ) Terra Noticias. May 30, 2010. Archived from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  40. ↑ Agatha leaves at least 16 dead in Guatemala, Honduras (English) , KOKH Fox May 25th, 30th 2010. Archived from the original on May 30th, 2010. 
  41. ↑ La tormenta tropical Agatha deja 95 muertos a su paso por Centroamérica ( Spanish ) Cadena Ser. May 31, 2010. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved on May 31, 2010.
  42. ^ Mark Rohner, Sylvia Wier: Tropical Storm Floods Homes; 5 The Guatemala, El Salvador ( English ) Bloomberg Businessweek. May 29, 2010. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved on May 29, 2010.
  43. ↑ Agatha tocó tierra, pero las lluvias siguen hoy ( Spanish ) El Salvador.com. May 30, 2010. Archived from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  44. ↑ Storm Agatha kills 9, evacuates 8,717 in El Salvador ( English ) Xinhua. May 31, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.

Web links

Commons : Tropical Storm Agatha (2010)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files