Agatha Becomes First Storm of 2022 Pacific Hurricane Season, Targets Mexico
The first named storm of the Pacific Hurricane season, Agatha, formed overnight and is expected to intensify further up until landfall Tuesday. The latest NHC advisory locates Agatha to be at 13.2N 98.4W or about 345 kilometers (215 miles) southwest of Puerto Angel, Oaxaca, Mexico. It has 1-minute sustained winds of 75 kph (45 mph) near the center, with estimated minimum central pressure of 1002 millibars. The storm is slow moving on its turn west at 7 kph (5 mph.)
CURRENT WARNINGS (As of 10:00AM CDT, May 28, 2022)
Hurricane Watch
(Hurricane conditions are likely in these areas, within 48 hours, gale force winds come into the shore)
- Southern coast of Mexico from Salina Cruz to Punta Maldonado
The Mexican government states close monitoring is needed in Southern Mexico as additional warnings could be raised later today.
STORM HAZARDS AND RISK
The storm is expected to make landfall Tuesday morning as a Category 2 hurricane with 1-minute sustained winds of 165 kph (100 mph.) It will then move inland but heavy rainfall would still be a significant concern of the storm. Do all precautions instructed by your local leaders.
Wind: Gale-force winds are expected to arrive to the coast by late Sunday or early Monday, with hurricane-force winds expected on Monday.
Waves, Storm Surges: Storm is expected to bring storm surges into the coastal waters of Oaxaca, Chichipas, and Guerrero that could cause coastal flooding.
Rainfall: From Sunday up to Tuesday, heavy amounts of rain that could cause life-threatening floods are expected across Oaxaca, Chichipas, and eastern Guerrero states of Mexico.
Oaxaca: 10 to 16 inches of rain, with an isolated maximum of 20 inches.
Chichipas, eastern Guerrero: 5 to 10 inches of rain, with an isolated maximum of 15 inches.
In the states of Vera Cruz and Tabasco, some moderate amounts of rainfall are expected, with 6 inches of rainfall possible.
Force Thirteen would continue to give updates on Agatha, so check out our Twitter, and YouTube. For more local updates, you can visit Mexico’s Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (Mexico).
