Tropical Storm Larry was the twelfth tropical
storm in the
2003
Atlantic hurricane season.
It was one of eight storms to impact Mexico
from either
the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans in the season, a near-record.
Larry
formed in early October from an extratropical storm in the Bay of Campeche
, and reached a peak intensity of 65 mph
(100 km/h). Due to weak steering currents, the storm
moved southward, which resulted in the storm hitting the Tabasco
coastline. The storm was the first Tabascan landfall since
Tropical
Storm Brenda in 1973.
Larry
drifted across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
, dropping heavy rainfall of over 9 in
(229 mm) in places. The rainfall led to flooding and
mudslides, causing damage to thousands of houses. The flooding
killed five people and resulted in $53.6 million
(2003 USD, $59 million 2005 USD) in damage.
Larry was
one of three tropical cyclones to hit Mexico in a short
period of time, including Tropical Depression
Nora and Tropical Storm
Olaf in the eastern Pacific Ocean
.
Meteorological history
A
tropical wave moved off the coast of
Africa on September 17.
It moved across the
shear-ridden Atlantic
Ocean
without development, and remained disorganized
until reaching the western Caribbean Sea
on September 26. There, the wave situated
itself beneath an upper-level anticyclone, allowing for favorable
upper-level outflow and for deep convection to develop.
On the
27th, a low pressure area developed while the
system was located a few hundred miles to the east of the Yucatán
Peninsula
. The system continued to organize, and
nearly developed into a tropical depression before moving ashore on
the Yucatán Peninsula on September 29.
Dry air
and land weakened the tropical wave, and when it entered the area
of the Bay of
Campeche, it merged
with a stationary frontal boundary. Cool, dry air around the
system caused the system to develop a cold core, and the area
organized into an extratropical low on September 30.
A large high pressure
system over the northern Gulf of Mexico
forced the system southward, where it developed
significant convection. The system developed a warm core, and on
October 1 the storm organized into Tropical Storm Larry while
located 300 miles (483 km) east-southeast of Tampico
, Mexico.
Weak steering currents allowed for Larry to drift westward at about
2 mph (3 km/h) while marginally favorable
conditions allowed the storm to strengthen to a peak of 65 mph
(105 km/h) on October 3.
A mid-level ridge forced the storm more to
the south-southeast, where after remaining a 60 mph
(97 km/h) storm for three days, Larry made landfall on
Paraíso in the Mexican state of
Tabasco on October
5. It steadily weakened over land, and
degenerated into a remnant low on October 6 while mid-way through
the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec. The remnant low turned to the southwest, and
reached the eastern Pacific
Ocean on the 7th. The
remnants of Larry re-organized in the eastern Pacific, with the
National Hurricane Center indicating for the possibility of
redevelopment into a tropical depression on October 9. However, the
convection diminished, and further development was no longer
anticipated.
Preparations
Due to
its erratic motion, the Mexican government
issued a Tropical
Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch early in Larry's lifetime
from Veracruz
to Campeche
. The watches and warnings were extended
westward to Tuxpan
on the 4th
and extended eastward to Ciudad del Carmen
on the 5th. Due to the threat of the storm,
officials closed three
Pemex oil ports. The
company used its reserves to make sure profits weren't disrupted.
In
addition, the storm closed shipping ports in Dos Bocas in Tabasco, Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz
, and Cayo Arcas in
Campeche
. The Mexican government placed six coastal
states on maximum alert, while authorities set up 75 evacuation
shelters for around 1,500 people. Because of the storm, the
government declared much of eastern Mexico a state of emergency.
Impact
Rainfall totals from Larry
Tropical
Storm Larry was one of eight storms to hit Mexico from either the
Atlantic
Ocean or the Pacific Ocean, the highest since the record of nine in
1971. The
National
Hurricane Center expected the storm to produce a storm surge of
3 to 5 feet (.9 to 1.5 m), with high waves on top, though
no official surge readings were reported.
The highest recorded
winds on land were 59 mph (95 km/h) in El Alacrán in Tabasco.
The worst
of Larry's effects came from its rainfall, peaking at
24.77 inches (629.2 mm) in Upper
Juarez in southeastern Mexico.
The
highest 24-hour rainfall total was 9.6 inches (245.5 mm)
in Tortuguero, Chiapas
, while several other locations reported over
4 inches (102 mm) in 24 hours.
The flooding damaged more than 21,000 houses across Mexico, in
combination with the damage from Eastern Pacific Hurricanes
Nora
and
Olaf.
Damage
was greatest around the Chiapas capital of Tuxtla
Gutiérrez
, where over 9,000 houses were affected.
The
rainfall caused mudslides across the country, hospitalizing two
individuals in central Hidalgo
. The flooding also caused severe crop damage
along Larry's path. Strong wind gusts caused outages to telephone
and power services. In all, Larry caused five deaths and
$53.6 million in damage (2003 USD, $59 million
2005 USD).
In
El
Salvador
, rainfall
from the remnants of Larry—combined with previous rainfall—caused
mudslides and flooding, forcing several thousand people to evacuate
in San
Salvador
. The
flooding destroyed or damaged hundreds of houses.
Aftermath
Tropical Storm Larry hit Mexico at around the same time as two
other tropical storms. The Mexican Red Cross provided aid for 6,587
families throughout the country, while the International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an international
appeal for aid. The appeal raised $284,472.8 (2003 USD). The
Mexican Red Cross distributed 4,000 food and hygiene packets to
various places, and delivered 2,750 family packets and over 4,300
mattresses to citizens in Chiapas, as well as 5,000 school kits. A
total of 38,750 people benefited from the operation.
The name Larry was not retired as a result of the storm, and is
scheduled to be used next during the
2009 season.
See also
References
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