Hurricane Diana
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | August 4, 1990 |
Dissipated | August 9, 1990 |
Category 2 hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 100 mph (155 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 980 mbar (hPa); 28.94 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 139 |
Damage | $90.7 million (1990 USD) |
Areas affected | Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1990 Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons |
Hurricane Diana was a deadly
Diana left relatively minor impacts in the Yucatán Peninsula. Some locations observed tropical storm-force sustained winds and gusts, while heavy rains left street flooding in the Chetumal area. Along the Gulf Coast of Mexico, the hurricane produced torrential rains exceeding 20 in (510 mm) in some places. The ensuing floods left about 3,500 people homeless and destroyed roughly 155 sq mi (400 km2) of farmland. Numerous roads and railways were either washed out or blocked by debris, cutting communication with several communities. In all, Diana killed 139 people in Mexico and resulted in approximately $90.7 million (1990 USD) in damage. The remnant disturbance caused street flooding in Arizona.
Meteorological history
Hurricane Diana originated from a tropical wave which emerged into the Atlantic Ocean from the west coast of Africa on July 27. Unfavorable conditions initially prohibited
The depression initially moved to the northwest under the influence of a mid-level trough. Around 00:00 UTC on August 5, about 24 hours after developing, the cyclone intensified into a tropical storm while offshore northeastern Honduras; the National Hurricane Center assigned the name Diana to the system. Diana would subsequently strengthen further, with winds reaching 65 mph (105 km/h) before the storm made landfall near Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, around 20:00 UTC later that day. The storm weakened while crossing the Yucatán Peninsula, and emerged into the Bay of Campeche early on August 6 with winds of 50 mph (80 km/h). Upon entering the Bay of Campeche, Diana began moving nearly due west as a result of a weakening trough of low pressure. With conditions being more favorable in the Bay of Campeche, Diana quickly intensified, becoming a hurricane around 06:00 UTC on August 7. Twelve hours later, the cyclone intensified into a Category 2 hurricane and attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (160 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 980 mbar (hPa; 28.94 inHg). At 19:00 UTC on August 7, just one hour after attaining peak intensity, Diana made landfall in Tamiahua, Tamaulipas, at the same intensity.[1]
Moving inland, Diana rapidly weakened over the high terrain of Mexico, quickly deteriorating from a low-end Category 2 hurricane to a strong tropical storm by 00:00 UTC on August 8. The system continued westward and weakened to a tropical depression roughly 12 hours later while centered near Mexico City. The weakening tropical depression turned west-northwestward over central Mexico and emerged into the Pacific Ocean on August 9, before dissipating as a tropical cyclone over the Gulf of California.[1] The remnants of Diana curved northward around the eastern periphery of an upper-cyclone and tracked through the Gulf of California. Convection flared up before the remnant disturbance moved ashore in northwestern Sonora. The remnants of Diana entered Arizona and dissipated by early on August 14.[2]
Preparations
In anticipation of Diana's first landfall, a tropical storm warning was issued on August 5 for Cancún, Mexico, southward to Belize City, Belize, on August 5, including the offshore islands from both nations; a tropical storm warning indicates that tropical storm force winds, 39 to 73 mph (63 to 117 km/h), are expected within 24 hours. Eleven hours later, the tropical storm warning was extended as far as Carmen, but was discontinued for the entire east coast of Belize.[3] Civil defense officials in Quintana Roo recommended that residents in coastal areas and in homes with weak construction to evacuate. The civil defense also set up emergency shelters in Punta Allen, Punta Herrero, and Xcalak. The Mexican Coast Guard was placed on alert and shipping activity around Quintana Roo ceased during the evening of August 5,[4] as tides were expected to range from 3 to 5 ft (0.91 to 1.52 m) above normal.[5] Additionally, officials expressed concerns about flash flooding due to the possibility of 5 to 8 in (130 to 200 mm) of rainfall in areas near the storm's path.[5] After Diana made landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula on August 6, all of the tropical storm warnings in place were discontinued.[3]
Diana then threatened the mainland east coast of Mexico. A hurricane watch was issued for
Impact
Mexico
Offshore Quintana Roo, the island of
Along the Gulf of Mexico, the storm produced storm surge and abnormally high tides, with waves up to 12 ft (3.7 m) in height.[13] Rough seas resulted in the closures of the ports at Coatzacoalcos and Tampico.[14] Diana produced torrential rainfall while crossing the country, which peaked at 21.92 in (557 mm) in Aquismón, San Luis Potosí.[2] Heavy rainfall triggered mudslides and flooding, mostly in the east-central portion of Mexico. The Comisión Nacional del Agua noted that at least seven rivers in the lower Pánuco River basin threatened to overflow their banks in the states of Guanajuato, Jalisco, San Luis Potosí, and Tamaulipas.[15] The rainfall caused extensive property damage, destroying numerous houses and leaving 3,500 homeless.[16] Flooding inundated highways and railways across six states and destroyed about 155 sq mi (400 km2) of farmland.[14]
The states of
In Hidalgo, several miners died after their truck plunged into a ravine.[19] The San Juan River overflowed in the town of Huejutla de Reyes, sweeping away hundreds of homes and some people in one neighborhood.[20] Diana also damaged at least 110 schools and 25 public buildings throughout in Hidalgo. Flooding washed out or damaged four federal highways and six state highways. The agricultural industry in Hidalgo, which had not fully recovered from a severe frost in December 1988, experienced significant effects. About 220,000 acres (90,000 ha) of croplands suffered damage, mainly impacting coffee, rice, and bean crops.[21]
Excluding the 56 people still missing by the end of 1990, Diana caused at least 139 deaths and $90.7 million in damage.[14] However, some sources claim that there were as much as 391 fatalities and losses incurred by the storm totaled to $94.5 million.[22] In addition, it is estimated that Diana injured 25,000 people.[14]
Elsewhere
While Diana was crossing the Yucatán Peninsula, it dropped light rainfall in Belize, peaking at 1 in (25 mm) in an unspecified location.[23] The remnants of Hurricane Diana eventually moved into the Southwestern United States, bringing heavy rainfall to the region.[2] In Imperial County, California, golf-ball sized hail was reported by the residents, along with rain and lightning, causing brief power outages throughout the county. A police dispatch of Imperial County also noted local flooding, which resulted in traffic disruptions.[24] The remnants of Diana also dropped light rainfall in San Diego County, California, with the city of San Diego receiving only a trace of rain, Vista reporting 0.09 inches (2.3 mm), Del Mar had 0.08 inches (2.0 mm), and Oceanside measuring 0.3 inches (7.6 mm).[25]
In Arizona, the remnants of Diana contributed to record cold temperatures for August in Phoenix. On August 14, the city had a high temperature of 78 °F (26 °C), which was 24 °F (−4 °C) below normal for that date. In Maricopa County, 3.5 in (89 mm) of rain was observed. Heavy precipitation, with 3.42 in (87 mm) in Desert Hills, which fell in less than two hours. Several weather-related car accidents occurred, but none were serious. In Apache Junction, police and city officials rushed to close flooded streets, including portions of state highways and underpasses of Interstate 17. Crews were pumping 32,000 US gal (120,000 L) of water from the underpasses of Interstate 17, but their efforts were futile. A 19 mi (31 km) portion of State Route 87 between Gila River Indian Community and the intersection with State Route 187 was shut down due to flooding. In Sacaton, about two-thirds of the city was inundated with at least 3 ft (0.91 m) of water.[26]
Aftermath
Following the storm, the Mexican Armed Forces delivered food and basic health care supplies to victims. In addition, there was also a mass vaccination against typhoid.[27] Officials delivered about 8,000 boxes of blankets, clothing, and food in total to the 55 worst impacted communities in Veracruz. The Mexican Army and Civil Defense of Veracruz deployed 36 medical brigades to attend to those injured during the storm.[18] By August 11, 120 families in the Sierra Norte de Puebla region of Puebla had received construction materials to rebuild their homes.[17]
Due to its impact, the name Diana was retired by the
See also
- Other storms named Diana
- List of Category 2 Atlantic hurricanes
- List of Atlantic–Pacific crossover hurricanes
- Hurricane Debby (1988) – A Category 1 hurricane that impacted similar areas
- Hurricane Gert (1993) – A Category 2 hurricane that impacted similar areas
- Hurricane Stan (2005) – A Category 1 hurricane that impacted similar areas
- Hurricane Karl (2010) – A Category 3 hurricane that impacted similar areas
- Hurricane Franklin(2017) – A Category 1 hurricane that impacted similar areas
References
- ^ a b c Lixion A. Avila (1990). "Synoptic History". Preliminary Report: Hurricane Diana 4–9 August 1990. National Hurricane Center (Report). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- ^ a b c David R. Roth (January 27, 2007). Hurricane Diana - August 4–14, 1990 (Report). College Park, Maryland: Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Lixion A. Avila (1990). "Table 2. Warning summary, Hurricane Diana, August 1990". Preliminary Report: Hurricane Diana 4–9 August 1990. National Hurricane Center (Report). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. p. 5. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- ^ "Diana Slashes Into Yucatan Peninsula". Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. August 6, 1990. p. 1. Retrieved July 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Diana threatens Yucatan with 45 mph winds". United Press International. August 5, 1990. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ "Diana bears down on Mexico". United Press International. August 7, 1990. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ Observer-Reporter. Associated Press. August 7, 1990. p. 35. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ "Hurricane Diana slams in Mexico". United Press International. August 7, 1990. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ History for Cancun, Mexico (Report). Weather Underground. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ "Diana headed back out into the Gulf". Williamson Daily News. Associated Press. August 7, 1990. p. 1. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ Lixion A. Avila (1990). "Casualty and Damage Statistics". Preliminary Report: Hurricane Diana 4–9 August 1990. National Hurricane Center (Report). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. p. 2. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- ^ "Tropical storm moves toward gulf". Reading Eagle. August 5, 1990. p. 142. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ "Hurricane Hits Mexican Coast, Loses Strength". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. August 8, 1990. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e (in Spanish) Efectos Económicos de los Principales Desastres según Tipo de Fenómen (PDF) (Report). Pan American Health Organization. 1990. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
- ^ "At least 35 killed in wake of Hurricane Diana". United Press International. August 9, 1990. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
- ^ 1990 Global Register of Major Flood Events (Report). Dartmouth College. May 2, 2006. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Cuantiosas pérdidas dejó a su paso el huracán Diana". El Informador (in Spanish). August 12, 1990. p. 1.
- ^ a b "Cuantiosas pérdidas dejó a su paso el huracán Diana". El Informador (in Spanish). August 12, 1990. p. 2.
- ^ "Hurricane kills at least 35, wreaks havoc in Mexico". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. August 10, 1990. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ Nicasio Hernández (August 8, 2017). "Recuerdan en Huejutla paso de Huracán Diana a 27 años del fenómeno". Quadratin Hidalgo (in Spanish). Retrieved July 4, 2019.
- ISBN 968-36-4066-4. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ Siste Sistemas De Alertamiento Temprano Y Difusion De La Informacion Experiencias En Mexico (PDF). El Centro Nacional De Prevencion De Desastres (Report) (in Spanish). November 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ Frappier (2007). Recent Tropical Cyclones Near Central Belize (PDF) (Report). Geological Society of America. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "Remnants of Hurricane Diana Blamed for Rain in Southland". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. August 16, 1990. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ "San Diego Skies Get Ahead of Themselves". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. August 16, 1990. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ "Heavy rains cause flooding". The Kingman Daily Miner. Phoenix, Arizona. Associated Press. August 15, 1990. p. 7. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ "Huracan Diana Causo 81 Muertos". Explored.com. Mexico City, Mexico. August 14, 1990. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ Retired Hurricane Names Since 1954. National Hurricane Center (Report). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. April 11, 2013. Archived from the original on February 12, 2006. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
External links
- NHC Diana report (GIF format)
- HPC Diana Rainfall page