Hurricane Rick (1997)
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | November 7, 1997 |
Dissipated | November 11, 1997 |
Category 2 hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 100 mph (155 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 973 mbar (hPa); 28.73 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 6 |
Damage | Minimal |
Areas affected | Mexico |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1997 Pacific hurricane season |
Hurricane Rick was the second-latest hurricane in the calendar year to make
Damage from Rick was fairly minor. As Rick was heading towards Mexico, the people on the coastline evacuated due to the impact of Pauline making them more prepared to deal with another hurricane, leading to no casualties.
Meteorological history
Hurricane Rick's ultimate origin was a tropical wave that left Africa on October 15. While crossing the Atlantic, the wave was mainly tracked by continuity due to its lack or organization.[1] After entering the Pacific, part of it developed cloudiness on November 5 when it was south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec. Organization and a circulation developed, and satellite tracking began on November 6. The disturbance became better organized and formed into Tropical Depression Nineteen-E on November 7.[1]
At first moving
Preparations
The pre-Rick tropical depression was a threat to Mexico. Hours before upgrading, Mexican officials issued a
The people in the coastal areas, most of which were already affected by the more catastrophic Pauline a month ago, were ready for Rick. All major ports along the coast were closed ahead of time in preparation, as well as airports in Huatulco and Puerto Escondido where power failures occurred because of Hurricane Rick.
Impact
The damage from Rick was minor in comparison to Pauline. In Oaxaca, the hurricane was responsible for dumping 10 inches (250 mm) of rain onto the state, which in turn resulted in mudslides and flash floods in areas earlier ravaged by Pauline.[8] These rains also resulted in the sea level rising three feet above normal levels due to high waves generated during its passage. The hurricane was also responsible for rendering bridges and roads unpassable in the state, which had only recently been repaired after they were damaged by two prior hurricanes: 1995's Hurricane Roxanne in the Atlantic [3] and Pauline, which had weakened bridges a month prior, allowing Rick to topple them,[9] including a bridge near Puerto Escondido which left a 15-foot (4.6 m) deep gap in the road.[6] Among the major roads that were cut off were a mountain road from Puerto Angel to Oaxaca City, a route used to link the coast with Mexico City, and a route from Puerto Escondido with Acapulco.[6] A total of 10.47 inches (266 mm) of rainfall, the highest total caused by Rick, was recorded in Astata/San Pedro Huameluca, which was near the point where the hurricane made landfall.[10] Telephone communications and traffic were cut off to many villages in the wake of the hurricane.[1]
Although Rick was much weaker than Pauline, there were some areas where Rick's impact was greater than that of Pauline's. One such place was the village of El Tomatal, located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Puerto Escondido. There, eight houses were destroyed and roofs were torn off of many others, which residents attributed to more rain than in Pauline, even though the winds were roughly equal.[7] Although there were no casualties, the hurricane caused more than 2000 people to become homeless.[8] Most of what Pauline had left behind was destroyed by Rick, which one resident said was like "Pauline came to harvest the corn, and Rick came to harvest the peanuts."[7]
In the United States, Rick had a temporary economic impact when, during its time off the shore of Chiapas and Oaxaca, it caused the price of coffee to rise 4.7 percent to $1.5685 per pound on the Coffee, Sugar and Cocoa Exchange in New York, the highest total it reached since October 16. Mexico is the United States's largest source of coffee imports and Oaxaca and Chiapas are the largest coffee growing regions in Mexico. Like the impact in El Tomatal, Rick's effects were much worse than Pauline's because Rick threatened the coffee crop when the beans were more susceptible to winds that could blow them off.[11]
Records
Rick was one of only eight known hurricanes to form in the East Pacific in November. The others were
See also
- List of Pacific hurricanes
- Timeline of the 1997 Pacific hurricane season
- Hurricane Pauline
- 1997 Pacific hurricane season
- Other storms with the same name
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Mayfield, Britt M (November 23, 1997). Preliminary Report: Hurricane Rick November 7 – 10, 1997 (PDF) (Report). United States National Hurricane Center. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ "Mexico Hurricane Rick Situation Report No.1". ReliefWeb. 1997-11-12. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
- ^ a b c "Hurricane Rick hammers Mexico". Marysville Journal-Tribune. Associated Press. 1997-11-10. p. 7. Retrieved 2007-12-29. [dead link]
- ^ "New Storm Approaches Still-Battered Coast". Frederick Post. Associated Press. 1997-11-10. p. A3. Retrieved 2007-12-29. [dead link]
- ^ a b c "Mexico Was Ready For Rick". Casa Grande Dispatch. Associated Press. 1997-11-11. p. 17. Retrieved 2007-12-29. [dead link]
- ^ a b c "Hurricane Rick hits Mexican coast". Casa Grande Dispatch. Associated Press. 1997-11-10. p. 2. Retrieved 2007-12-29. [dead link]
- ^ a b c Niko Price (1997-11-11). "Pauline's lessons save Mexico from Rick's wrath". The Intelligencer. p. C4. Retrieved 2007-12-29. [dead link]
- ^ a b Gary Padgett (1997). "Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary: November, 1997". Australia Severe Weather. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
- ^ Steve Newman (1997-11-16). "Earthweek: A Diary of the Planet". Intelligencer. Associated Press. p. E3. Retrieved 2007-12-29. [dead link]
- ^ Roth, David M (May 12, 2022). "Hurricane Rick - November 7-10, 1997". Tropical Cyclone Rainfall. United States Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved June 1, 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ New York Times (1997-11-11). "FUTURES MARKETS; Coffee Prices Surge as Storm Threatens Mexican Harvest". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
- ^ a b National Hurricane Center; Hurricane Research Division; Central Pacific Hurricane Center (April 4, 2023). "The Northeast and North Central Pacific hurricane database 1949–2022". United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service. A guide on how to read the database is available here. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.