Everything about Hurricane Lester 1992 totally explained
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 85 mph (140 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.
Storm 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.
The depression gradually tracked northwestward at 15 mph (24 km/h). 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. 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. Its remnants transitioned into an
extratropical cyclone as it continued to the north-northeast ahead of an approaching
trough, and merged with the remnants of
Hurricane Andrew on
August 29 over
Pennsylvania.
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. The threat of the hurricane resulted in the evacuation of about 10,000 residents.
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).
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 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.
A weather station on
Mt. Harvard recorded about 4 inches (100 mm) of snow during Lester's passage through
Colorado.
Further Information
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