Hurricane Willa was a powerful
tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
that brought torrential rains and destructive winds to southwestern Mexico, particularly the states of
Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...
and
Nayarit
Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...
, during late-October 2018. It was the twenty-fifth tropical cyclone, twenty-second named storm, thirteenth hurricane, tenth major hurricane, and record-tying third
Category 5 hurricane
Category, plural categories, may refer to:
Philosophy and general uses
* Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally
*Category of being
* ''Categories'' (Aristotle)
*Category (Kant)
*Categories (Peirce)
* ...
of the
2018 Pacific hurricane season
The 2018 Pacific hurricane season was one of the most active Pacific hurricane seasons on record, producing the highest accumulated cyclone energy value on record in the basin. The season had the fourth-highest number of named storms23, tied wit ...
. Willa was the first major hurricane to make
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
in the
Mexican state
The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named Mexico, United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a sepa ...
of Sinaloa since
Lane
In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each ...
in
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
.
Willa originated from a
tropical wave
A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
that the United States-based
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...
(NHC) began to monitor for
tropical cyclogenesis
Tropical cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropical cyclogenesis occurs are distinctly different from those through which temperate cyclogenesis occurs. Tropi ...
in the southwestern
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
on October 14. However, the system subsequently crossed over
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
into the East Pacific, without significant organization. The NHC continued to track the disturbance until it developed into a tropical depression on October 20, off the coast of southwestern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. The depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Willa later in the day as a period of
rapid intensification
In meteorology, rapid intensification is a situation where a tropical cyclone intensifies dramatically in a short period of time. The United States National Hurricane Center defines rapid intensification as an increase in the maximum sustained w ...
commenced. Willa peaked as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) on the following day. Afterward, a combination of an eyewall replacement cycle and increasing wind shear weakened the hurricane, and early on October 24, Willa made
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
as a marginal Category 3 hurricane in the Mexican state of
Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...
. Following landfall, Willa rapidly weakened, dissipating later that day over northeastern Mexico.
Up to its landfall, Willa prompted the issuance of hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings for western Mexico. The hurricane killed nine people, and caused
MX$16.1 billion (
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
825 million) in damage, mostly around the area where it moved ashore. The storm knocked out power to nearly 100,000 people in four states. Willa caused significant damage to many schools, a hospital, and infrastructure in the city of
Escuinapa
Escuinapa de Hidalgo is a city in Escuinapa Municipality of the same name, located at the extreme southern end of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Its geographical coordinates are . At the census of 2005 the city had a population of 28,789 inhabitan ...
, with totals estimated at MX$6 billion (US$306 million). The overflow of multiple rivers damaged structures and left many areas in Sinaloa and Nayarit without a supply of potable water. In the surrounding states, flooding and landslides were the main sources of damage and injury. The remnants of Willa later entered the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and caused flash floods in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. After the storm, multiple individuals did not receive direct help from the
Mexican government
The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republi ...
until many months had passed. The Mexican people mainly relied on help from charitable organizations to recover and rebuild their damaged property. The Sinaloan state government delivered rotten mattresses to storm victims and the federal government lost track of funds it had appropriated for relief efforts. Reconstruction was not slated to begin in some areas until a few months after the storm.
Meteorological history
The origins of Hurricane Willa can be traced back to a
tropical wave
A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
that left the west coast of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
on October 2, 2018. Over the next few days, the wave produced intermittent bursts of
deep convection, or thunderstorms; however, strong
wind shear
Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizontal ...
blasted the convection away from the center while the wave traveled westward across the Atlantic Ocean.
On October 14, the United States-based
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...
(NHC) began monitoring the wave for tropical development while it was located in the southwestern
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
. On the next day, the system became better organized southeast of the
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...
, and the storm encountered more favorable conditions as it neared land. As a result, a
WC-130
The Lockheed WC-130 is a high-wing, medium-range aircraft used for weather reconnaissance missions by the United States Air Force. The aircraft is a modified version of the C-130 Hercules transport configured with specialized weather instrumenta ...
aircraft from the
United States Air Force Reserve
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known by its nickname, Hurricane Hunters, is a flying unit of the United States Air Force, and "the only Department of Defense organization still flying into tropical storms and hurricanes." Aligne ...
was scheduled to survey the system for further development. However, the wave made landfall in
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
on October 16, hindering further organization.
The tropical wave moved into the East Pacific early on October 17; however, the system failed to coalesce into a tropical cyclone, and became increasingly disorganized and elongated on the next day. A new low-pressure
trough
Trough may refer to:
In science
* Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench
* Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure
* Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave
* Trough level (medicine), the l ...
, an elongated region of low
atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure, also known as barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1013.25 millibars, 7 ...
, developed to the east of the original low early on October 19, which organized into
Tropical Storm Vicente
The name Vicente has been used for one tropical cyclone in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and for two in the Western Pacific Ocean.
In the Eastern Pacific:
* Tropical Storm Vicente (2018) – Formed south of Guatemala and moved towards southwestern Me ...
later that day. The original low to the west gradually organized while moving westward, and at 00:00
UTC on October 20, the system developed into a tropical depression while located approximately 265 mi (425 km) south of
Manzanillo, Mexico.
Banding featuressignificantly elongated, curved bands of rain cloudsbegan to develop south of the center, while cloud tops west of the center became as cold as . The system then developed a tight inner core, strengthening into a tropical storm around 12:00 UTC, while located about 290 mi (465 km) south-southwest of Manzanillo. At this point, the NHC assigned it the name ''Willa'' from its rotating list of names.
Shortly thereafter, Willa began to
rapidly intensify, with its
low-level center becoming embedded beneath a
central dense overcast
The central dense overcast, or CDO, of a tropical cyclone or strong subtropical cyclone is the large central area of thunderstorms surrounding its circulation center, caused by the formation of its eyewall. It can be round, angular, oval, or irr ...
, which is the large area of
thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...
s surrounding the storm's circulation center. At the same time, Willa turned towards the northwest as it began traveling around the western edge of a mid-level
ridge
A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
.
Environmental conditions around the cyclone and aloft were favorable, with very low wind shear, high levels of moisture, and
sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature (SST), or ocean surface temperature, is the ocean temperature close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air mass ...
s of . These conditions allowed Willa to strengthen into a hurricane around 06:00 UTC on October 21.
Around the storm,
outflow
Outflow may refer to:
*Capital outflow, the capital leaving a particular economy
*Bipolar outflow, in astronomy, two continuous flows of gas from the poles of a star
*Outflow (hydrology), the discharge of a lake or other reservoir system
* Outflow ...
became well-established, and in the center of the convection, a small
eye developed. Willa reached
Category 3 status by 18:00 UTC, with its eye becoming well-defined on both
infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
and
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
imagery, making it the tenth major hurricane of the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
.
Continuing to rapidly intensify, Willa reached peak intensity as a Category 5 hurricane with
maximum sustained wind
The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common
indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a distance defined as the radius of maximum wind, or RMW. Unl ...
s of and a
minimum central pressure of at approximately 06:00 UTC on October 22, while located about 195 mi (315 km) south-southwest of
Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. This capped off a 48-hour period in which Willa's winds increased by 125 mph (205 km/h).
Over the next few days, Willa recurved towards Mexico; the system turned to the north as it rounded the edge of the ridge and later to the northeast due to an approaching mid-to-upper-level trough.
Shortly after Willa reached peak intensity, microwave satellite imagery detected the presence of an outer eyewall, indicating that Willa was beginning to undergo an
eyewall replacement cycle
In meteorology, eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones, generally with winds greater than , or major hurricanes ( Category 3 or above). When tropical cyclones reach this int ...
.
Willa also began to interact with the smaller Tropical Storm Vicente to the southeast at about this time.
Despite a favorable environment, Willa began to weaken due to the eyewall replacement cycle, with the storm's eye becoming cloud-filled;
Willa weakened to Category 3 strength on October 23 around 06:00 UTC, as southwesterly wind shear began to increase. The weakening trend abated as the eyewall replacement cycle ended, and Willa's eye passed over Isla San Jaunito and
Isla María Madre at approximately 17:45 UTC.
The system made
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
as a Category 3 hurricane near ,
Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...
, at 01:20 UTC on October 24 (7:20 PM
MDT on October 23), with 1-minute sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of .
This made it the first Pacific major hurricane to strike Mexico since Hurricane Patricia in 2015, and the first landfalling major hurricane in Sinaloa since Hurricane Lane in 2006. Willa's eye soon faded away on satellite imagery as it progressed inland.
Following landfall, mountainous terrain and southwesterly wind shear took a toll on the storm's strength, and Willa rapidly weakened, degenerating into a tropical storm by 06:00 UTC.
Six hours later, Willa dissipated over northeastern Mexico, with the mid- and upper-level circulations decoupling from the lower-level circulation. The remnants of Willa continued to travel northeastward, bringing rain to multiple states in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
Energy from the remnants contributed to the formation of a
nor'easter
A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use o ...
in the eastern United States.
Preparations
![Willa 2018-10-23 1950Z](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Willa_2018-10-23_1950Z.jpg)
The
Government of Mexico
The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republi ...
issued a
hurricane watch
Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local popul ...
on October 21 at 15:00 UTC for the western coast of
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
from
San Blas to
Mazatlán
Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding ''municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of ...
, and a tropical storm watch from Playa Perula to
San Blas. Six hours later, a tropical storm watch was issued for Mazatlán to
Bahia Tempehuaya. The hurricane watch and tropical storm watches were replaced with warnings at 03:00 UTC on October 22. All warnings were discontinued at 06:00 UTC on October 24 after Willa weakened to a tropical storm over
Durango
Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...
.
Various other weather-related alerts were issued as Willa approached Mexico's Pacific coast. Red alerts, indicative of the maximum level of danger, were issued for portions of Nayarit and Sinaloa in Willa's direct path.
In central Sinaloa and
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadala ...
,
Jalisco
Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...
, orange alerts were issued due to high danger. A majority of
Chihuahua was under a yellow alert, meaning moderate danger, due to the threat of heavy rainfall. A green alert, signaling minimal danger, was issued for
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...
as a precautionary measure due to waves along the coast. Admiral
Vidal Francisco Soberón Sanz
Admiral Vidal Francisco Soberón Sanz (born May 17, 1953) is a Mexican Navy officer who served as the Secretary of the Navy.
Early life
Admiral Soberón Sanz finished his primary and secondary studies in Mexico City and then in 1970 studied at ...
of the Mexican Secretariat of the Navy activated the Prevention Phase of the Marine Plan, a military disaster preparation and relief plan, in the Mexican states of Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán. Small vessels were restricted in the ports of Comondú, La Paz, and Los Cabos as well as in the
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...
and
Sea of Cortez
The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja C ...
. Classes were canceled in the Sinaloan municipalities of
Concordia,
Cosalá
Cosalá () is a small city and the seat of its surrounding municipality in the Mexican
state of Sinaloa. It stands at
.
The city reported 6,577 inhabitants in the 2010 census.
Overview
Cosalá is located 155 km. from state capital Culi ...
,
Elota,
Escuinapa
Escuinapa de Hidalgo is a city in Escuinapa Municipality of the same name, located at the extreme southern end of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Its geographical coordinates are . At the census of 2005 the city had a population of 28,789 inhabitan ...
,
Mazatlán
Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding ''municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of ...
,
Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...
, and
San Ignacio. Approximately 1,265 schools were also closed along the northern and southern coasts of Jalisco.
Approximately 200,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Nayarit and Sinaloa.
About 40,000 of those people utilized more than 2,900 shelters, assisted by the Mexican Army, Navy, and emergency crews. Businesses and industries in the storm's path closed.
Mazatlán International Airport
General Rafael Buelna International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional General Rafael Buelna, ), also known as Mazatlán International Airport (), is located in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. This airport is the most important in Sinaloa for its ...
closed during the storm, as did nearby hotels.
Thirty neighborhoods in the
Mazatlán Municipality
Municipality of Mazatlán is a municipality in Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico.
Political subdivision
Mazatlán Municipality is subdivided in 8 ''sindicaturas'':
*Villa Unión
Villa Unión is a city in northwestern Argentina and the main settl ...
were evacuated due to the risk of flooding. Emergency authorities evicted over 4,250 people in coastal cities from their homes and established 58 shelters before the storm hit. In Jalisco, 2,500 people were evacuated ahead of Willa and 23 temporary shelters were established. At least 6,000 people were evacuated from
Escuinapa
Escuinapa de Hidalgo is a city in Escuinapa Municipality of the same name, located at the extreme southern end of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Its geographical coordinates are . At the census of 2005 the city had a population of 28,789 inhabitan ...
due to the proximity of Willa. Fonden, Mexico's natural disaster relief agency, allocated 99.2
US tons (90
metric tons) of food for affected people in advance of Willa's landfall.
The Mexican Navy set up a collection center for food and supplies in
La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz (, en, Peace) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2020 census population of 250,141 inhabitants, making it the most populous city in the state. Its ...
in the hours before the storm.
Hurricane Willa and
Tropical Storm Vicente
The name Vicente has been used for one tropical cyclone in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and for two in the Western Pacific Ocean.
In the Eastern Pacific:
* Tropical Storm Vicente (2018) – Formed south of Guatemala and moved towards southwestern Me ...
together forced the ''
Norwegian Bliss
''Norwegian Bliss'' is a cruise ship for Norwegian Cruise Line, which entered service on 21 April 2018. The ship was built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. The ship had a schedule of debuting in Alaska, United States in June 2018, and is ...
'' cruise ship to divert to
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, on October 23. Despite the threat that Willa posed,
Petróleos Mexicanos
Pemex (a portmanteau of Petróleos Mexicanos, which translates to ''Mexican Petroleum'' in English; ) is the Mexican state-owned petroleum company managed and operated by the Mexican government. It was formed in 1938 by nationalization and ex ...
, a Mexican state-owned
petroleum company
The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The larges ...
, announced that it intended to maintain normal operations in Jalisco, Nayarit, Colima, Sonora and Sinaloa. All economic activity and public transportation were suspended in Sinaloa as a precaution.
Roads and businesses were closed in Nayarit, with officials requesting that citizens remain in their homes.
In order to prevent damage to water pumping equipment during the storm, service was shut off to 27 neighborhoods in
Tepic, Nayarit
Tepic () is the capital and largest city of the western Mexican state of Nayarit, as well as the seat of the Tepic Municipality.
Located in the central part of the state, it stands at an altitude of above sea level, on the banks of the Río Mo ...
, on October 23. The Jalisco state Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT) employed 400 people to observe 322 bridges and over 1,365 mi (2,200 km) of roads. The SCT also readied 60 machines, including backhoes, in case of landslides. The number of road crews available was increased from 22 to 40 during the storm.
Impact
Mexico
![Flooding Along the Nueces River](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Flooding_Along_the_Nueces_River.jpg)
The eye of Hurricane Willa crossed over two of the offshore
Islas Marías
The Islas Marías ("Mary Islands") are an archipelago of four islands that belong to Mexico. They are located in the Pacific Ocean, some off the coast of the mexican state, state of Nayarit and about southeast of the tip of Baja California. The ...
, producing wind gusts of 112 mph (179 km/h), and average sustained winds of 89 mph (142 km/h) for a 15-minute period; the latter value equated to 1-minute sustained winds of around 100 mph (160 km/h).
The Marías Islands prison was damaged during the storm; palm trees were uprooted, roofs collapsed, and barbed wire was ripped from fences.
On the Mexican mainland, storm chasers from
iCyclone reported a minimum pressure of where Willa's eye moved ashore, suggesting a landfall intensity of 115 mph (185 km/h). Willa produced hurricane-force wind gusts as well as high waves and a significant
storm surge
A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...
in the immediate vicinity of where it moved ashore. Willa dropped heavy rainfall in western Mexico, peaking at in San Andrés Milpillas in northern Nayarit.
Cihuatlán
Cihuatlán is a coastal municipality in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Its main city is also named Cihuatlán.
Etymology
The word Cihuatlán is compounded of two words of Nahuatl origin, a language spoken in central Mexico since the seventh c ...
in western Jalisco reported of rainfall. Intense precipitation occurred in six Mexican statesColima,
Durango
Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...
, Jalisco,
Michoacán
Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...
,
Nayarit
Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...
, and Sinaloa.
The storm left 96,200 people without power in four states: Sinaloa, where it moved ashore, as well as Nayarit, Durango, and Michoacán.
Sinaloa
Hurricane Willa's landfall in Sinaloa left two municipalities isolatedEscuinapa and
Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...
.
High winds damaged homes and knocked down trees, which blocked roads. In Escuinapa, the storm damaged the general hospital, causing part of the roof and walls to collapse. Soldiers evacuated 35 patients from the hospital. The city also experienced power outages and had no potable water.
Damage in the city was estimated at
MX$6 billion (US$306 million).
Willa severely damaged 72 schools in Escuinapa and 19 in Rosario.
Approximately of crops were damaged across seven municipalities.
The Trébol II community dam was damaged as a result of floodwaters from Willa. Power lines were knocked down along a road to Tecapan, causing the entire town to lose power. In Rosario, the Baluarte River rapidly rose after at least of rain fell, sweeping away stone extraction machinery and transportation trucks. The destruction of infrastructure left multiple communities in Rosario without drinking water and at least of unusable roads.
The river flood also damaged approximately of crops in Rosario. In
Mazatlán
Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding ''municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of ...
, heavy rainfall caused rockslides and increased the water level of the Camarón lagoon.
Nayarit
In Nayarit state, Willa inflicted at least MX$10 billion (US$510 million) in damage.
A state of emergency was declared for 12 municipalities.
The hurricane left about 100,000 people homeless statewide.
A hydro-agricultural system in the northern part of the state was damaged, resulting in MX$700 million (US$35.7 million) in losses. Heavy rainfall caused rivers to crest more than above normal, forcing the municipalities of Tecuala, Acaponeta, Tuxpan, San Blas, and Huajicori to be evacuated.
A total of 12,000 people were forced into shelters statewide.
Heavy rain from Willa led to severe flooding along the
San Pedro River and the
Acaponeta River
The Acaponeta River originates in the State of Durango, México and drains into the Pacific Ocean.
The river basin covers . From its beginning in Durango to where it crosses into Nayarit, the river is called Quebrada de San Bartolo; farther dow ...
, affecting 180,000 people.
Four people drowned along the San Pedro Riverthree in
Huajicori Huajicori () is both a municipality and the municipal seat of the same in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The population of the municipality was 10,294 in 2000 in a total area of 2,603.5 km². Its area makes up almost 10% of the state. The populat ...
, and one in San Vicente in
Tuxpan
Tuxpan (or Túxpam, fully Túxpam de Rodríguez Cano) is both a municipality and city located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The population of the city was 78,523 and of the municipality was 134,394 inhabitants, according to the INEGI census o ...
.
The only road to the El Valle de la Urraca community was washed out, leaving its inhabitants without outside communication. Strong winds and floodwaters wiped out local shrimp farms. One farmer lost 22.0–33.1 US tons (20–30 metric tons) or about MX$2 million (US$82,000).
In Tuxpan, the overflow of the San Pedro River caused sewage leaks. Three out of four of the municipality's public schools suffered major flood damage; another 42 schools in the state of Nayarit experienced considerable damage. Tens of thousands of individuals in the municipality experienced flooding up to in height.
The flooding from the rivers also caused a shortage of potable water in the northern portion of the state;
water service was not restored for at least two weeks after the end of the storm.
The municipal government lost 2.2 US tons (2 metric tons) of food aid after the warehouse the food was stored in was flooded.
Firefighters worked overnight to rescue people trapped on their roofs.
Acaponeta
Acaponeta is both a municipality and a town in the northern part of the Mexican state of Nayarit. The town is located at the geographical coordinates of . The population of the municipality was 34,665 in the 2005 census, living in a total area of ...
was similarly severely impacted as record-breaking flooding occurred along the Acaponeta River, with a flood crest of and peak
discharge of recorded. Several vehicles were trapped by floodwaters along
Mexican Federal Highway 68, particularly at the Acaponeta toll booth. Civil Protection and Mexican Navy personnel conducted at least 80 land and water rescues.
Flooding also forced the closure of
Mexican Federal Highway 15D
Federal Highway 15D (Carretera Federal 15D) is the name for toll highways paralleling Federal Highway 15. The toll segments of Highway 15D include some of the most significant highways in the country along the Nogales-Mexico City corridor. The h ...
between Acaponeta and La Guásima.
Elsewhere
Willa brought heavy rains and flooding to parts of
Michoacán
Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...
,
causing streams and rivers to overflow. The Cointzio Dam reached 98% capacity, and water and sewage systems in the state capital,
Morelia
Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital and larg ...
, reached full capacity. Waters reached deep in some parts of the capital, which inundated 40 neighborhoods and entered hundreds of homes. The Jacarandas neighborhood had to be evacuated due to odor from the sewage system. Three shelters were set up to house affected city residents.
Damage in Morelia was estimated at MX$35 million (US$1.79 million).
In
Atapaneo, a landslide caused a freight train to derail, injuring two people.
Rains from the storms raised water levels on
Lake Chapala
Lake Chapala ( es, Lago de Chapala, ) is Mexico's largest freshwater lake. It lies in the municipalities of Ocotlán, Jalisco, Ocotlán, Chapala, Mexico, Chapala, Jocotepec, Poncitlán, and Jamay (municipality), Jamay, in Jalisco, and in Venu ...
.
Strong waves from Willa overturned a boat; two brothers drowned off the coast of
Colima
Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and ...
while scattering a relative's ashes. The bodies were recovered by local officials and the Mexican Navy. Due to the unsettled weather produced by Willa and the nearby
Tropical Storm Vicente
The name Vicente has been used for one tropical cyclone in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and for two in the Western Pacific Ocean.
In the Eastern Pacific:
* Tropical Storm Vicente (2018) – Formed south of Guatemala and moved towards southwestern Me ...
, numerous
oil tankers
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crud ...
were unable to unload fuel at ports in
Manzanillo and
Tuxpan
Tuxpan (or Túxpam, fully Túxpam de Rodríguez Cano) is both a municipality and city located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The population of the city was 78,523 and of the municipality was 134,394 inhabitants, according to the INEGI census o ...
. Combined with the closure of a major pipeline that transports
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
to
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
, this caused a fuel shortage in
Jalisco
Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...
, with some 500 gas stations being affected.
Heavy rains in neighboring Jalisco state flooded streets and overflowed streams. In
Melaque,
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
soldiers evacuated their headquarters when it flooded. Strong currents broke a fence for a crocodile habitat in
La Manzanilla, allowing hundreds to escape. The Papaloapan and Coatzacoalcos Rivers in Jalisco overflowed their banks due to the excessive rainfall. At least a dozen houses in
Punta Pérula were flooded with up to of water. Strong waves occurred off the coast of
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadala ...
; landslides and fallen trees were also reported there.
Heavy rainfall killed two people in
Nogales, Sonora
Heroica Nogales (), more commonly known as Nogales, is a city and the county seat of the Municipality of Nogales. It is located on the northern border of the Mexican state of Sonora. The city is abutted on its north by the city of Nogales, Arizo ...
, where floods also swept away cars and entered homes and businesses.
In
Mezquital Municipality
Mezquital is one of the 39 municipalities of Durango, in north-western Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. ...
in
Durango
Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...
state, a power worker was shocked and fell to his death amid the storm's heavy rainfall. At least five towns flooded in the state. Landslides in
Pueblo Nuevo municipality damaged 35 homes across 10 rural communities. The
Durango-Mazatlán highway
Federal Highway 40, (''Carretera Federal'', Fed. 40) also called the ''Carretera Interoceánica'' (Interoceanic Highway), is a road beginning at Reynosa, Tamaulipas, just west of the Port of Brownsville, Texas, and ending at Mexican Federal ...
was partially closed from October 23–24. Schools across the state were also canceled until October 25.
Losses in
Lerdo, Durango
Ciudad Lerdo (Lerdo City) is a small city in the northeastern portion of the Mexican state of Durango. It serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name.
It is located at co-ordinates 25.33° N, 103.31° W, borde ...
reached about MX$140 million (US$7.14 million).
A total of 200 people were evacuated from the area surrounding the Santa Elena dam due to overflowing water.
A total of ten landslides occurred in the state of
Hidalgo
Hidalgo may refer to:
People
* Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility
* Hidalgo (surname)
Places
Mexico
* Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico
* Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila
* Hidalgo, Nuevo Le ...
as a result of heavy rainfall from Willa and the nearby Tropical Storm Vicente. In the municipalities of Huasteca and Sierra, highway accesses were blocked by boulders and tree limbs. Two people were hospitalized due to a landslide in
Zacualtipán
Zacualtipan (formally: Zacualtipan de Ángeles ) is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 241.6 km².
As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 25,987.
...
. Seven people were evacuated after a house was buried in
Calnali
Calnali is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 190.2 km². Calnali is a Nahuatl name meaning ''house on the other side of the river''. As of 2005, the municipal ...
. Roads in
Huehuetla and
Tenango were impassable due to landslides. Landslides affected the Tlanchinol-Hueyapa state highway in
Tepehuacán, the Pachuca-Huejutla highway in the
Mineral del Chico municipality, and the Mexico-Tampico federal highway.
United States
On October 24, the remnants of Hurricane Willa brought heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and Louisiana.
The area had already been saturated from excessive rainfall within the past month. A Flash Flood Warning was issued for
Galveston County
Galveston County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, located along the Gulf Coast adjacent to Galveston Bay. As of the 2020 census, the population was 350,682. The county was founded in 1838. The county seat is the City of Galveston, ...
, in southeastern Texas.
Rainfall reached at the
Scholes International Airport at Galveston
Scholes International Airport at Galveston is three miles southwest of Galveston, in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a '' reliever airport''.
The airpor ...
;
this broke the city's daily rainfall record, surpassing the previous record set in 1883.
Flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...
ing from the rains collected in bayous, covering streets and flooding some cars. Floodwaters entered the dorms at the
Texas A&M University at Galveston Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees that are awarded from Texas A&M University in College Station. Students enrolled at Texas A&M Unive ...
.
Aftermath
Mexican authorities sent 45,000 people to assist with relief efforts. Included in this group were soldiers, sailors, doctors, and nurses.
Plan DN-III-E, a disaster relief and rescue plan, was activated in the states of Colima, Durango, Jalisco, Nayarit, and Sinaloa. About 11,000 soldiers were deployed in the municipalities of
Culiacán
Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico, the capital and largest city of both the Culiacán Municipality and the state of Sinaloa. The city was founded on 29 September 1531, by the Spanish Conquistadores, con ...
,
El Rosario,
Escuinapa
Escuinapa de Hidalgo is a city in Escuinapa Municipality of the same name, located at the extreme southern end of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Its geographical coordinates are . At the census of 2005 the city had a population of 28,789 inhabitan ...
,
La Cruz de Elota, and
Mazatlan in Sinaloa to help with transporting civilians to four shelters. In Sinaloa, approximately 1,820 people were provided with 1,400 food rations. Soldiers also worked to repair window damage at the Teacapan Hospital as well as remove trees from roads. Around 590 soldiers were deployed in Durango. In Colima, 262 soldiers were deployed to monitor the level of the Marabasco River. In Michoacán, officials mobilized 500 soldiers to help families impacted by the hurricane. One hundred and eighteen soldiers evacuated 154 people in the cities of Melaque,
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadala ...
, and
Tomatlán
Tomatlán (meaning "Tomato land" or "place of tomato" from Nahuatl) is a town and municipality, in Jalisco south of Cabo Corrientes in central-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 153 km².
As of 2015, the municipality ha ...
in Jalisco.
The government of Mexico City established a collection center for food, cleaning products, and hygiene products; this center was located in Mexico City's Pushkin Garden. About 3,000 meals were distributed by the
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army ( es, Ejército Mexicano) is the combined land and air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army.
The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National De ...
in a community kitchen in Tuxpan, Nayarit, as a part of Plan DN-III-E.
The National System for Integral Family Development (DIF) sent 1,764 US tons (1,600 metric tons) of aid, including pantries, galvanized sheet metal, and bottled water, to areas affected by Willa.
The Marine Plan was activated in Sinaloa and Nayarit, resulting in the dispatch of 1,800 soldiers, 163 vehicles, 8 aircraft, 15 surface units, 6 ships, and 3 mobile kitchens. The
Mexican Red Cross
The Mexican Red Cross (Spanish: ''Cruz Roja Mexicana'') is a non-governmental humanitarian assistance organization affiliated with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to help those in dangerous situations, such as n ...
sent 48,502 US tons (44,000 metric tons) of supplies to Nayarit and Sinaloa; the aid delivered to Nayarit pantries consisted of 19,842 US tons (18,000 metric tons), including a thousand hygiene kits. Approximately 28,660 US tons (26,000 metric tons) of goods were sent to Sinaloa pantries. Additionally, collection centers were opened in Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, and Guanajuato. Around 178 people were evacuated from Cristo Rey and El Rosario in Escuinapa. Soldiers distributed 500 food portions using a mobile kitchen in the Nayarit municipality of
Tecuala
Tecuala is both a municipality and a town in the Mexican state of Nayarit, on the Pacific coast. The population of the municipality was 42,237 in a total area of 1,137 km² (2000) while the population of the town and municipal seat was 14,584 ...
. The Tuxpan municipal government provided 1,400 US tons (1,270 metric tons) of food, water, supplies, clothing, and medicine to affected individuals.
Officials in Nayarit sent 76 vehicles with medical supplies to reach the most affected residents in northern Nayarit.
The Jalisco State Civil Fire and Protection Unit used aquatic vehicles to transport supplies to the Tuxpan Municipality and assess damage in Nayarit. For one week, officials made
Mexican Federal Highway 15D
Federal Highway 15D (Carretera Federal 15D) is the name for toll highways paralleling Federal Highway 15. The toll segments of Highway 15D include some of the most significant highways in the country along the Nogales-Mexico City corridor. The h ...
a toll roadfree of charge, and instead collected more than MX$1.1 million (US$57,000) in donations for the residents left homeless by the hurricane. The office of the Attorney General of the Republic sent 12.1 US tons (11 metric tons) of food as well as four doctors and of medicine to Sinaloa and Nayarit.
Save the Children
The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
sent 800 hygiene kits to children in Nayarit. They also were operating 17 dining facilities for nearly 3,000 children, but were forced to close four located in Isla del Bosque, Escuinapa, and Teacapán due to power outages.
Petróleos Mexicanos reported gasoline shortages in the state of
Guanajuato
Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...
following Hurricane Willa. The shortages were blamed on infrastructural damage and an increase in gasoline theft caused by Willa. The unloading of fuel was not possible in some ports. Additionally, gasoline pipelines had to be shut down due to theft; the Tula-Salamanca section was closed for repairs as a result of damage left by thieves.
Sinaloa Governor
Quirino Ordaz Coppel
Quirino Ordaz Coppel (born October 24, 1962) is a Mexican lawyer and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He served as the Governor of Sinaloa, Governor of the state of Sinaloa from 2017 to 2021. He previously ...
declared a state of emergency for
seven municipalities.
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FI ...
, then coach of the
Dorados de Sinaloa
Dorados de Sinaloa, or Dorados, is a Mexican professional football club based on Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico.
History
Dorados de Sinaloa was founded on August 9, 2003. The Dorados was the youngest team to play on First Division de México, hav ...
, hosted a charity dinner on November 5 to provide financial support for individuals affected by Willa and
Tropical Depression Nineteen-E.
In Nayarit, the National Civil Protection Coordination designated the municipalities of Acaponeta,
Del Nayar,
Huajicori Huajicori () is both a municipality and the municipal seat of the same in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The population of the municipality was 10,294 in 2000 in a total area of 2,603.5 km². Its area makes up almost 10% of the state. The populat ...
,
Rosamorada
Rosamorada () is a municipality of the state of Nayarit in Mexico. It is located in the extreme north of the state. The area of the municipality is 2,073 km² and the population was 32, 217 in 2005, showing a significant decrease from 1980 when i ...
,
Ruiz The Spanish surname Ruiz originates from the Germanic personal name " Hrodric" which is composed of the elements "Hrōd", meaning "renown", and "rīc", meaning "power(ful)", thus "famous ruler". Ruiz is a patronymic from the personal name Ruy, a sh ...
,
Santiago Ixcuintla
Santiago de Ixcuintla is a municipality and a municipal seat in the western Mexican state of Nayarit. The municipal population was 84,314 inhabitants (census of 2000) with the municipal seat having 18,269. The area of the municipality was 1,831 ...
, Tecuala, and Tuxpan as disaster areas. In the
Escuinapa Municipality
Municipality of Escuinapa is a municipality in Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico. The seat is Escuinapa de Hidalgo
Escuinapa de Hidalgo is a city in Escuinapa Municipality of the same name, located at the extreme southern end of the Mexican state ...
in Sinaloa, it was reported that over 2,000 families were living under plastic roofs six months after the storm. Additionally, Mayor Emmet Soto Grave stated that there were many irregularities in the damage reported by the previous government. In total, 144 houses had been counted as damaged by the government from October 23–28, while more than 2,000 were actually affected. After President
Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican politician who has been serving as the 65th president of Mexico since 1 December 2018. He previously served as Head of Government of Mexico ...
had federal officials visit the city, more inaccuracies regarding damage to roads, educational institutions, and areas of tourism were discovered. In the time after Willa's dissipation, the National Water Commission reported that the
Baluarte River had seen a major increase in
chromium
Chromium is a chemical element with the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in group 6. It is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal.
Chromium metal is valued for its high corrosion resistance and hardne ...
,
mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
, and
nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow to ...
concentrations a month after the storm. Throughout the region, mango orchards were severely damaged by wind gusts from Willa, resulting in a 50–75% decrease in production. This decrease equated to a loss of about 77,162 US tons (70,000 metric tons) or of mango. At least 1,200 farmers required loans due to significant losses. The mayor of Mazatlan sent 60 workers, two cranes, and three dump trucks to Escuinapa.
Several months after the storm, the communities of Maloya and Buenavista in El Rosario were mostly without potable water.
During the first week after the storm, at least 180,000 people had no outside communication or food as a result of the flood of the San Pedro and Acaponeta rivers.
Some people had to rid their entire house of river mud without assistance. Those affected by Willa in Nayarit said they felt "abandoned by the authorities" after only receiving help from disaster organizations for the month and a half following the storm. Schools in
Tuxpan
Tuxpan (or Túxpam, fully Túxpam de Rodríguez Cano) is both a municipality and city located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The population of the city was 78,523 and of the municipality was 134,394 inhabitants, according to the INEGI census o ...
did not have classes during that time as the facilities were unusable. The town of Los Sandovales in Acaponeta was destroyed, resulting in many of the families there becoming homeless. In the weeks after Willa, the state government of Nayarit announced that it was unable to provide funds towards reconstruction as a result of the state's bankruptcy.
In 2019, the Mexican Government announced that it would provide MX$250 million (US$10.4 million) for the reconstruction of Nayarit municipalities, which was slated to begin in February.
Approximately MX$23.19 million (US$961,000) in federal relief funds were distributed to the municipalities of Tuxpan, Rosamorada, Tecuala, Acaponeta, and Huajicori; 533 families in these municipalities were awarded MX$30,000 (US$1,250) to cover damage to their homes. Two federal officials gave another 30 families MX$120,000 (US$5,000) after their homes were completely destroyed. The Mexican Government also allocated MX$2 billion (US$83.6 million) for the reconstruction of public infrastructure, such as highways, bridges, schools, and hospitals.
The cost to repair public infrastructure in Nayarit was evaluated at approximately MX$2.2 billion (US$92 million);
it also was estimated that MX$39 million (US$1.6 million) was required to cover the costs of mud removal from main roads in the state.
Coppel
Coppel is a nationwide department store in Mexico based in Culiacán, Sinaloa and founded in 1941. It is noted for extending easy credit and for enabling payment of purchases via twice-monthly installments.Jesús Remedios Vega, De persona a pers ...
, a nationwide department store, was given MX$66 million (US$2.8 million) by the Mexican Government; this allowed Coppel to provide 4,400 families with MX$15,000 (US$625) vouchers for furniture and appliances.
In Sinaloa, people used their own funds to rebuild their homes due to lack of resources from Fonden. The state delivered MX$2 million (US$101,000) worth of rotten mattresses to victims and allowed them access to pantries in exchange for support letters. Support ranging between MX$1,800–10,000 (US$90–$500) was provided to small businesses. A Sinaloan state official said that it could take three years for Fonden to allocate funds for repairs. Fonden had authorized a total of MX$84.7 million (US$4.3 million) to cover damage resulting from Willa; however, no repair work had commenced in the months after the storm and the whereabouts of the funds were unknown.
A few days after President López Obrador's tour of Sinaloa, including the city of Mazatlan, Fonden allotted MX$510 million (US$23.9 million) for damage in Escuinapa and El Rosario.
Notes
See also
*
Weather of 2018
*
Tropical cyclones in 2018
During 2018, tropical cyclones formed within seven different tropical cyclone basins, located within various parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the year, a total of 151 tropical cyclones had formed this year to date. 102 ...
*
List of Category 5 Pacific hurricanes
Category 5 hurricanes are tropical cyclones that reach Category 5 intensity on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. They are by definition the strongest hurricanes that can form on planet Earth. They are rare in the northeastern Pacif ...
*
Other storms of the same name
*
Hurricane Olivia (1975)
Hurricane Olivia was considered the worst hurricane to hit Mazatlán, Sinaloa since 1943, in addition to being the strongest landfalling and costliest hurricane of the 1975 Pacific hurricane season. Olivia formed on October 22 to the south ...
Category 3 hurricane that took a similar track and struck Sinaloa
*
Hurricane Tico (1983)Took a similar track and made landfall near
Mazatlán
Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding ''municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of ...
as a strong Category 3 hurricane
*
Hurricane Kenna
Hurricane Kenna was the fourth-most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Eastern Pacific basin, and at the time the third-most intense Pacific hurricane to strike the west coast of Mexico. Kenna was the sixteenth tropical depression, thirte ...
(2002)Category 5 hurricane that took a similar track and underwent rapid intensification, before making landfall in Nayarit as a Category 4 hurricane
*
Hurricane Rick (2009)
Hurricane Rick was the third-most intense Pacific hurricane on record and the second-most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2009, only behind Typhoon Nida. Developing off the southern coast of Mexico on October 15, Rick traversed an area ...
Category 5 hurricane that took a similar track and underwent rapid intensification, before making landfall in Sinaloa as a tropical storm
*
Hurricane Patricia
Hurricane Patricia was the strongest tropical cyclone on record worldwide in terms of wind speed and the second-most intense on record worldwide in terms of pressure, behind Typhoon Tip in 1979, with a minimum atmospheric pressure of 872 mbar ( ...
(2015)The strongest Pacific hurricane on record, with winds of 215 mph (345 km/h); took a similar track and made landfall in Jalisco as a strong Category 4 hurricane
References
External links
* The National Hurricane Center'
advisory archive on Hurricane Willa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willa (2018)
2018 in Mexico
2018 Pacific hurricane season
Category 5 Pacific hurricanes
Pacific hurricanes in Mexico
Hurricanes in Texas
Willa Willa is a feminine given name. Notable people and characters with the name include:
* Willa or Guilla of Provence (died before 924), early medieval Frankish queen
* Willa of Tuscany (died 970), queen consort of Berengar II of Italy
* Willa Brown ( ...