Hurricane Rosa (1994)

Infobox Hurricane
Name=Hurricane Rosa
Type=hurricane
Year=1994
Basin=EPac
Image location=Rosa 94 peak.jpg


Formed=October 8
Dissipated=October 15
1-min winds=90
Pressure=974
Da

Inflated=
Fatalities=4 direct, 22 indirect, 4 missing
Areas=Mexico, Texas
Hurricane season=1994 Pacific hurricane season

Hurricane Rosa was an East Pacific tropical cyclone. It killed at least 4 people in Mexico. Moisture from the hurricane was a factor in widespread flooding in the U.S. state of Texas that killed 22 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in October 1994. Ultimately peaking as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, Rosa was the final hurricane, nineteenth tropical storm, and second-last tropical cyclone of the 1994 Pacific hurricane season.

Meteorological history

On October 8, a circulation associated with an area of disturbed weather acquired convection and was designated Tropical Depression Nineteen-E.cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1994/rosa/tropdisc/nep1994.001|author=Mayfield|date=1994-10-08|title=Tropical Depression Nineteen-E Special Discussion 1|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-10-03] Moving little, its development was constantly hindered by wind shear.cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1994/rosa/tropdisc/nep1994.002|author=Mayfield|date=1994-10-08|title=Tropical Depression Nineteen-E Discussion Number 2|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-10-03] The depression had difficulty organizing. On October 9, it became so disorganized that advisories were discontinued.cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1994/rosa/tropdisc/nep1994.006|author=Mayfield|date=1994-10-08|title=Tropical Depression Nineteen-E Discussion Number 1|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-10-03]

The depression's remnants moved eastward and interacted with an area of disturbed weather. This regenerated the convection,cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1994-prelim/rosa/prelim01.gif|title=Preliminary Report Hurricane Rosa|pages=1|date=1994-11-22|format=GIF|author=Lixion Avila|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-10-01] and the depression regenerated on October 10, possibly with a new center of circulation.cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1994/rosa/tropdisc/nep1994.007|author=Rappaport|date=1994-10-10|title=Tropical Depression Nineteen-E Discussion Number 7|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-10-04] However, the National Hurricane Center's preliminary report does not indicate that the depression ever dissipated or regenerated.cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1994-prelim/rosa/prelim03.gif|title=Preliminary Report Hurricane Rosa|pages=1|date=1994-11-22|format=GIF|author=Lixion Avila|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-10-04] Moving little in a favorable environment, the depression was upgraded into Tropical Storm Rosa on October 11,cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1994/rosa/tropdisc/nep1994.011|title=Tropical Storm Rosa Discussion Number 11|date=1994-10-11|author=Rappaport|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-10-04] and a hurricane a day later.cite web|date=1994-10-12|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1994/rosa/tropdisc/nep1994.011|author=Rappaport|title=Hurricane Rosa Discussion Number 14|publisher=National Hurricane Center] At the time it was about convert|345|mi|km south of the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. Rosa continued drifting slowly for another day and a half. Then, a trough caused Rosa to take off and accelerate north-northeastward. On October 14, Rosa peaked in intensity as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale with winds of convert|100|mph|km/h|abbr=on and a central pressure of convert|974|mb|hPa|abbr=on. A few hours later, Rosa made landfall near La Concepción about convert|70|mi|km|abbr=on south-southeast of Mazatlán. Rosa's circulation weakened over the mountains, and it dissipated on October 15/

Preparations and forecasting

On October 12, a hurricane watch was issued for the coast from Culiacán to Manzanillo and the Baja California Peninsula south of latitude 24°N. At the same time, a tropical storm warning was issued from Manzanillo to Tepic. On October 14, a hurricane warning was issued for the coast between Culiacán and Cabo Corrientes, and a tropical storm warning south of Cabo Corrientes to Manzanillo. All watches and warnings were lifted later that day.cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1994-prelim/rosa/prelim05.gif|title=Preliminary Report Hurricane Rosa|date=1994-11-22|author=Lixion Avila|format=GIF|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-10-01|pages=5]

Rosa was generally forecast worse-than a typical system. In particular, the pre-Rosa depression was forecast to dissipate because of strong wind shear.cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1994-prelim/rosa/prelim02.gif|title=Preliminary Report Hurricane Rosa|pages=2|date=1994-11-22|format=GIF|author=Lixion Avila|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-10-01] While the depression did dissipate, it did not stay that way.

Impact

Mexico

On October 13 and 14, two ships, the "London Spirit" and the "Marie Maersk", encountered winds of tropical storm or hurricane force.cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1994-prelim/rosa/prelim04.gif|title=Preliminary Report Hurricane Rosa|date=1994-11-22|author=Lixion Avila|format=GIF|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-09-24|pages=4] The "Marie Maersk" was located especially close to the eye. Its observations were useful to forecasters.

In both Nayarit and Durango, two people drowned. In Sinaloa, four people were missing. More than 100000 people in Nayarit had their homes damaged. Rosa's winds damaged many telephone poles, power lines, and houses in Sinaloa. Rainfall between convert|3|to|5|in|mm caused many landslides in mountainous areas. A few mudslides forced the evacuation of 400 people from two coastal villages in Jalisco.cite news|page=3|url=http://www.thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?
|date=1994-10-15|publisher=Chicago Daily Herald|title=Mexican West Coast Survives Hurricane|accessdate=2008-10-04] Rosa dumped rain over parts of coastal and inland Mexico. The highest rainfall total was convert|14.09|in|mm|abbr=on at Mesa de Pedro Pablo.cite web|publisher=Hydrometeorological Prediction Center|author=David M. Roth|url=http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/rosa1994.html|accessdate=2008-10-04|title=Hurricane Rosa]

United States

Texas

Rosa sent moisture into the United States. That moisture, in combination with humidity drawn north from the Gulf of Mexico, caused heavy thunderstorms and flooding in parts of thirty eight Texas counties on October 15 to 19. The flooding was worst around the San Jacinto and Trinity River basins, and in coastal areas. Rainfall totals ranged from convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on to more than convert|28|in|mm|abbr=on.cite web|url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-073-94/pdf/FS-94-073.pdf|title=Floods in Southeast Texas, October 1994|publisher=United States Geological Survey|format=PDF|accessdate=2008-10-01|year=January|year=1995|pages=1] The rain levels caused 100-year floods at nineteen stations. Several records were broken, some of which had stood since 1940. In the case of the Lavaca River near Edna, it broke a record set in 1936.cite web|url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-073-94/pdf/FS-94-073.pdf|title=Floods in Southeast Texas, October 1994|publisher=United States Geological Survey|format=PDF|accessdate=2008-10-01|year=January|year=1995|pages=2] The flooding destroyed 3069 homes, heavily damaged 6560, and damaged 6148 others. Railbeds and roads sustained damage. Broken gas and oil pipelines caused spills and environmental damage in the Lower San Jacinto River and Galveston Bay. Twenty-two people were killed in the disaster. All in all, the flooding in southeastern Texas caused 700 million (1995 USD) in damage. On October 18, the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared the worst-affected areas a disaster area.cite web|publisher=Federal Emergency Management Agency|accessdate=2008-10-04|title=Texas Severe Storm, Thunderstorms, Flooding|date=2005-05-23|url=http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=2242] It received 26,000 applications for disaster assistance and approved 54 million (1995 USD) in aid.

Lack of retirement

After this season the name "Rosa" was not retired. It was subsequently reused in 2000 and 2006.cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tracks1949to2007_epa.txt|format=plaintext|date=2008-03-21|title=Eastern North Pacific Tracks File 1949-2007|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-10-04] The name remains on the list and is slated to be used in 2012.cite web|url=http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/tcp/Storm-naming.html|title=Tropical Cyclone Naming|publisher=World Meteorological Organization|accessdate=2008-10-04]

ee also

*Other hurricanes named Rosa
*List of Pacific hurricanes

References

External links

* [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1994-prelim/rosa/ Preliminary report]
* [http://www.weather.unisys.com/hurricane/e_pacific/1994/ROSA/track.gifStorm path]