Hurricane Lester (1992)

Infobox Hurricane
Name=Hurricane Lester
Type=hurricane
Year=1992
Basin=EPac
Image location=Hurricane Lester 22 aug 1992 2246Z.jpg


Formed=August 20, 1992
Dissipated=August 24, 1992
1-min winds=70
Pressure=985
Da

Inflated=1
Fatalities=3 direct
Areas=Baja California, northwestern Mexico, southwestern United States
Hurricane season=1992 Pacific hurricane season

Hurricane Lester was the first Pacific tropical cyclone to enter the United States as a tropical storm since a hurricane in 1967. The twelfth named storm and seventh hurricane of the 1992 Pacific hurricane season, Lester formed on August 20 from a tropical wave to the southwest of Mexico. It moved generally northwestward while steadily intensifying, and after turning to the north Lester attained hurricane status. The hurricane reached peak winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) before making landfall on west-central Baja California. It weakened while moving across the peninsula and over northwestern Mexico, and after entering Arizona it dissipated on August 24 over New Mexico.

In Mexico, the passage of the hurricane resulted in $45 million in damage (1992 USD, $64.7 million 2006 USD), 5,000 people left homeless, and 3 fatalities. The remnants of Lester also produced moderate rainfall and minor flooding across southern California, Arizona and New Mexico, as well as rare August snow in the Rocky Mountains.

Meteorological history

A weak tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa on August 7. It tracked across the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea without development due to high amounts of vertical wind shear. The wave axis split into two, with the northern portion dissipating over Cuba on August 15 and the southern portion continuing westward. The southern portion of the wave crossed Central America and entered the eastern Pacific Ocean on August 16. Deep convection increased over the wave upon entering the Pacific, and early on August 19 it began to become better organized. Subsequent to the development of a low-level circulation, the system organized into Tropical Depression Fourteen-E on August 20 while located about 275 miles (445 km) south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico.cite web|author=National Hurricane Center|year=1992|title=Hurricane Lester Tropical Cyclone Report|accessdate=2007-01-25|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1992/lester/prenhc/prelim01.gif]

The depression gradually tracked northwestward at 15 mph (24 km/h). The center of the depression was initially uncertain, resulting in forecasters estimating the location of the center through continuity from previous advisories. [cite web|author=Rappaport|year=1992|title=Tropical Depression Fourteen-E Discussion Three|accessdate=2007-01-25|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1992/lester/tropdisc/nep1492.003] It slowly strengthened and steadily organized, and attained tropical storm status late on August 20, upon which it was named "Lester". Lester continued to the northwest, and passed directly over Socorro Island on August 21. By early on August 22, an eastward moving trough weakened the ridge to its north, resulting in Lester to turn to the north. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center predicted the storm would not strengthen above tropical storm strength before making landfall. [cite web|author=Pasch|year=1992|title=Tropical Storm Lester Discussion Ten|accessdate=2007-01-25|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1992/lester/tropdisc/nep1492.010] However, it defied the forecast, and intensified into a hurricane late on August 22 while located about 240 miles (385 km) west of La Paz in Baja California Sur. Hurricane Lester continued to organize, with a banding-type eye, and early on August 23 it attained peak winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) with a minimum central pressure of 985 mbar (hPa). Lester weakened steadily as it turned to the northeast, and made landfall as a minimal hurricane near Punta Abreojos, Baja California Sur about 10 hours after reaching peak intensity. It degenerated into a tropical storm while crossing the Baja California Peninsula, and after passing through the northern Gulf of California it made a second landfall near Isla Tiburon in the state of Sonora. Lester entered Arizona as a tropical storm on August 24, the first time since Hurricane Katrina in 1967 that an Eastern Pacific tropical cyclone entered the United States with winds of at least tropical storm intensity. It maintained tropical storm status until degenerating into a tropical depression near Tucson, Arizona. Later that day, the low level circulation dissipated over New Mexico, and Lester ceased to be a tropical cyclone.cite web|author=Miles B. Lawrence and Edward Rappaport|year=1993|title=Eastern North Pacific Hurricane Season of 1992|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2007-01-31|url=http://ams.allenpress.com/archive/1520-0493/122/3/pdf/i1520-0493-122-3-549.pdf] Its remnants transitioned into an extratropical cyclone as it continued to the north-northeast ahead of an approaching trough,cite web|author=Michael Dickinson and L. F. Bosart and K. L. Corbosiero|year=2006|title=The extratropical transitions of eastern Pacific Hurricane Lester (1992) and Atlantic Hurricane Andrew (1992)|publisher=American Meteorligical Society|accessdate=2007-01-26|url=http://ams.confex.com/ams/27Hurricanes/techprogram/paper_108829.htm] and merged with the remnants of Hurricane Andrew on August 29 over Pennsylvania.cite web|author=Florida Historical Society|year=2003|title=Today in Florida's History|accessdate=2007-01-31|url=http://list.florida-historical-soc.org/pipermail/fhstoday/2003-August/001097.html]

Preparations

The Government of Mexico issued tropical storm watches and warnings for Baja California on August 21. On the following day, as its strengthening pattern became evident, a hurricane warning was issued for the peninsula from Punta Eugenia southward to Cabo San Lazaro. The government of Mexico also issued a tropical storm warning for the Sonora and Sinaloa mainland from Cabo Tepopa to Los Mochis. All watches and warnings were discontinued as the storm weakened and dissipated.cite web|author=National Hurricane Center|year=1992|title=Hurricane Lester Tropical Cyclone Report Page 3|accessdate=2007-01-25|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1992/lester/prenhc/prelim04.gif] The threat of the hurricane resulted in the evacuation of about 10,000 residents.cite web|author=Mercury News Wire Services|year=1992|title=Hurricane Lester kills 3 in Mexico|publisher=San Jose Mercury News|accessdate=2007-01-23|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SJ&s_site=mercurynews&p_multi=SJ&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB719F9B8A1F541&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM]

Impact

No observations exist for the duration when Lester, as a tropical depression, moved over Socorro Island, though six hours after passing the island a station reported winds of 23 mph (37 km/h). While it passed over the islands, winds were estimated to have reached 37 mph (59 km/h). Several ships came in contact with Lester, with one in the eye reporting hurricane force winds for 11 hours on August 22. The ship in the eye reported rough seas, causing it to roll 33° to each side and sending a large amount of cargo overboard.cite web|author=National Hurricane Center|year=1992|title=Hurricane Lester Tropical Cyclone Report Page 2|accessdate=2007-01-25|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1992/lester/prenhc/prelim02.gif]

Hurricane Lester produced heavy rainfall across its path through the Baja California Peninsula and Sonora. A weather station in Presa Rodriquez reported 8.66 inches (203 mm) of precipitation, with several other locations reporting over 2 inches (50 mm). The heavy rainfall caused extensive flood damage to the west of Hermosillo, destroying some entire communities and flooding the highway that leads to the U.S. city of San Diego. The flash flooding and mudslides caused by the rainfall killed three people, left 5,000 homeless, and resulted in $45 million in damage (1992 USD, $64.7 million (2006 USD). The Mexican Army provided relief efforts to residents after the storm.

The remnants of Lester produced heavy rainfall across the Southwestern United States. In Arizona, rainfall amounted to over 5 inches (125 mm) near Phoenix and Tucson, with much of the rest of the state reporting over 1 inch (25 mm). Moderate rainfall was also reported in western New Mexico and southern Utah, while one location in southwestern Colorado reported over 5 inches (125 mm) of precipitation.cite web|author=David Roth|year=2006|title=Rainfall Summary for Hurricane Lester|publisher=Hydrometeorological Prediction Center|accessdate=2007-01-31|url=http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/lester1992.html] The rainfall caused moderate flooding in Denver. In addition to the rainfall, moisture from the remnants of Lester dropped 2 to 4 inches (50 to 100 mm) of snow across portions of Colorado, causing traffic problems in mountainous areas.cite web|author=Bill Scanlon|year=1992|title=Pacific Storm Chills State, Floods Denver|publisher=Rocky Mountain News|accessdate=2007-01-23|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=RM&p_theme=rm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB4DB16D479164C&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM] A weather station on Mt. Harvard recorded about 4 inches (100 mm) of snow during Lester's passage through Colorado. Moisture from Lester extended through the eastern United States, with Mattoon, Illinois reporting a peak of 5.96 inches (151 mm).

Due to the minor amount of damage, the name Lester was not retired by the World Meteorlogical Organization. It was reused in 1998 and 2004 and is currently on the Pacific hurricane naming list, and will next be in use for the 2010 season. [cite web|author=National Hurricane Center|year=2007|title=Worldwide Tropical Cyclone Names|publisher=NOAA|accessdate=2007-01-31|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml]

ee also

*List of Baja California Peninsula hurricanes
*List of Pacific hurricanes

References