Hurricane Raymond was the strongest

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. Depen ...

of the

1989 Pacific hurricane season The 1989 Pacific hurricane season was the first near normal season since 1981. The season officially started on May 15, 1989, in the eastern Pacific, and June 1, 1989, in the central Pacific, and lasted until November 30, 1989. These dates conven ...

, peaking as a strong Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. Forming out of a tropical wave on September 25, 1989, the tropical depression slowly tracked northwest before becoming nearly stationary the next day. Shortly after, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Raymond and took a general westward track. Gradually intensifying, Raymond attained hurricane-status on September 28 and attained its peak intensity on September 30, with winds of and a

barometric 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 ...

of 935 mbar (hPa; ). Steady weakening then took place and by October 3, Raymond turned northeast towards land. The storm continued to weaken as it accelerated and eventually made landfall on the Baja California Peninsula as a tropical storm late on October 4 and a second landfall in Sonora, Mexico. Shortly after, Raymond weakened to a depression as it tracked inland. The remnants of the system persisted until October 7 when it dissipated over the Central United States. Due to the rapid motion of the storm, little impact was felt in Mexico. Moderate rain fell in association with Raymond, peaking at in Nogales. There, flooding destroyed a bridge and nearby store, leaving $250,000 in damage. The remnants of Raymond produced more significant damage in the United States.

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

recorded of rain from the storm, resulting in flash flooding that reached a depth of in some places. In nearby Willcox, flood waters inundated roughly 75% of the city. High winds from the storm also resulted in one fatality after a mobile home was destroyed. In all, damage throughout Arizona amounted to $1.5 million.

Meteorological history

Hurricane Raymond originated out of a tropical wave that also spawned Hurricane Hugo in early September. With little convective development, the wave tracked westward across the Atlantic Ocean, entering the Caribbean several days later. By September 22, shower and thunderstorm activity increased as it crossed Central America and entered the eastern Pacific basin. By September 24, the wave had become sufficiently organized for the

Dvorak Technique The Dvorak technique (developed between 1969 and 1984 by Vernon Dvorak) is a widely used system to estimate tropical cyclone intensity (which includes tropical depression, tropical storm, and hurricane/typhoon/intense tropical cyclone intensitie ...

to be implemented on the system. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) estimated that the wave spawned Tropical Depression Twenty One-E about south of Acapulco, Mexico, on September 25. Operationally, the NHC did not begin issuing advisories on the depression until September 26; at that time, the system's outflow developed and the depression was nearly stationary as a mid-level low over Mexico moved south. Shortly after, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and given the name ''Raymond'' by the NHC. Raymond maintained a small area of deep convection around the center of circulation; however, outflow gradually became restricted due to the upper-level trough over Mexico. Southerly

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 horizont ...

around the storm began to increase late on September 27 in response to a cutoff low developing over southern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and northern Mexico; this led to a decrease in shower and thunderstorm activity with the system, preventing intensification. By this time, the storm had resumed a general westward track. The following day, the storm intensified into a hurricane, the ninth and final of the season, after an eye developed. Throughout September 29, the eye became more defined on satellite imagery, indicating intensification. Later that day, Raymond strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane. Early on October 1, Raymond reached its peak intensity with winds of and a

of 935 mbar (hPa; ). Shortly after, the eye increased in size but became less symmetrical, indicating that the storm was beginning to weaken. By October 2, convection surrounding the eye warmed and Raymond was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane as it began to slow in a weak steering environment. Early the next day, the now Category 2 hurricane turned northeast and quickly accelerated in response to an approaching long-wave trough. Later on October 3, the cyclone further weakened to a Category 1 storm as an eye was no longer present in the circulation. Increasing wind shear and decreasing water temperatures sped up the rate of weakening as Raymond approached the Baja California Peninsula. Around 2300 UTC on October 4, the center of the storm made landfall in the municipality of Ensenada in Mexican state of

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

with winds of . After briefly crossing 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 C ...

, the storm made its second and final landfall in the state of Sonora with winds of . Shortly after moving inland, Raymond weakened to a tropical depression and quickly transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in the

Southwest United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorad ...

. The upper-level remnants of the hurricane persisted until October 7 over the Midwest region.

Preparations and impact

Mexico

Around 0300 UTC on October 4, 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 republ ...

issued a

tropical storm warning 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 ...

for areas between Punta Abreojos and San Carlos on the Pacific coast of

and for areas between Santa Rosalía to Loreto on the

Gulf coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...

of the Peninsula. Roughly twelve hours later, the warning was superseded by another tropical storm warning. The new warning was issued for areas between Punta Abreojos and El Rosario on the Pacific coast and for areas between Santa Rosalia and Punta Final on the Gulf coast. In mainland Mexico, a tropical storm watch was issued for coastal areas of Sonora between Cabo Lobos and Puerto Penasco. By 1830 UTC, all of the watches and warnings were revised; on the Pacific coast of Baja California, the warning was in effect for areas between Punta Abreojos and San Juanico; on the Gulf coast, the warning was in effect for areas between Santa Rosalia and Punta Conception; the watch for coastal areas of Sonora was upgraded to a tropical storm warning for areas between

Guaymas Guaymas () is a city in Guaymas Municipality, in the southwest part of the state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city is south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and from the U.S. border. The municipality is located on the Gulf of Cali ...

and Cabo Lobos. Following Raymond's landfall in mainland Mexico, all warnings were discontinued by 1200 UTC on October 5. Since Raymond had significantly weakened prior to its first landfall, only minor impacts were recorded in Mexico. The fast forward speed of the storm limited the amount of rain in the Baja California Peninsula, with only a small area receiving more than . The highest rainfall was recorded in Nogales at . In the city, the swollen Santa Cruz River destroyed a heavily traveled bridge, known as the Calle Obregon, and a store which was situated on the banks of the river. Mexican officials estimated damages in Nogales at $250,000.

United States

The day prior to Raymond's impacts in the United States, weather forecasts in Arizona indicated that heavy rainfall associated with the remnants of the storm were likely to trigger flash flooding and landslides, with rainfall rates reaching 0.5 in/h (12.5 mm/h).

Flash flood watch A flash flood watch ( SAME code: FFA; also referred as a "green box" by meteorologists) is severe weather watch product of the National Weather Service that is issued when conditions are favorable for flash flooding in flood-prone areas, usually ...

es were issued for parts of southern Arizona as well as mountainous and northern parts of New Mexico between October 5 and 6. Rainfall in excess of fell in parts of southern

; with the highest in the state recorded near

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

at . Several locations recorded wind gusts up to ; however, mountaintops possibly received winds in excess of . The highest total in the United States was recorded in Independence, Kansas at . Fifteen streets in the city of Tucson were closed as floodwaters reached in the worst hit areas. The Tucson Electric Power Company reported that parts of the city were without power for eight hours on October 5 due to the storm. The hardest hit area was Willcox; roughly 75% of the city was under of floodwaters. Runoff, mixed with sewage, contaminated a wastewater-treatment plant; cleanup took several days before the plant was operational. Several businesses were flooded, with the Wilcox Auction Barn and the Wapco Apple Packing Plant both containing about of water. The Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Company shut off power to flooded areas as a safety precaution. In Fort Huachuca, power lines were downed, leading to early dismissal of army classes. One person was killed in relation to Raymond after being trapped in a mobile home which was destroyed by high winds.Staff Writer (October 6, 1989) Showers roll across central U.S. ''United Press International'' Flash flooding triggered by Raymond caused an estimated $1.5 million in damage throughout Arizona.

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