Mexico tropical cyclone rainfall climatology discusses precipitation characteristics of tropical cyclones that have struck

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 ...

over the years. One-third of the annual rainfall received along the

Mexican Riviera The Mexican Riviera refers collectively to twenty cities and lagoons lying on the western coast of Mexico. Although there are long distances between these cities, they are often collectively referred to as the ''Mexican Riviera'' because of the ...

and up to half of the rainfall received in Baja California Sur is directly attributable to tropical cyclones moving up the west coast of Mexico. The central plateau is shielded from the high rainfall amounts seen on the oceanward slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental and Occidental mountain chains.

General characteristics

Storms track near and along the western Mexican coastline primarily between the months of July and September. These storms enhance the monsoon circulation over northwest Mexico and the southwest

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 territori ...

. On an average basis, eastern Pacific tropical cyclones contribute about one-third of the annual rainfall along the Mexican Riviera, and up to one-half of the rainfall seen annually across Baja California Sur. Mexico is twice as likely (18% of the basin total) to be impacted by a Pacific tropical cyclone on its west coast than an Atlantic tropical cyclone on its east coast (9% of the basin total). The three most struck states in Mexico in the 50 years at the end of the 20th century were Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, and

Quintana Roo Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...

.E. Jáuregui
Climatology of landfalling hurricanes and tropical storms in Mexico.
Retrieved on 2007-06-23.

Highest known rainfall amounts

Below is a list of the top ten highest known storm total rainfall amounts from individual tropical cyclones across Mexico. Most of the rainfall information was provided by the Mexico's National Weather Service, '' Servicio Meteorológico Nacional'', which is a part of the National Water Commission, '' Comisión Nacional del Agua''.

Maximum tropical cyclone rainfall per state for Mexico

On the western side of Mexico, the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American ...

keeps the central

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

free of excessive rainfall, as tropical cyclones originating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean rain themselves out on the upslope sides of the topography. On the eastern side of Mexico, the Sierra Madre Oriental has the same orographic effect, this time blocking tropical disturbances making

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 ...

from the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

. State maxima relating to tropical cyclones and their remnants are shown on the right, color-coded by amount.

References

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External links

Individual Tropical Cyclone Rainfall Pages for North AmericaSOI and PDO relation to tropical cyclone rainfall variability in MexicoCharacteristics of Landfalling Tropical Cyclones in the United States and Mexico: Climatology and Interannual Variability
Tropical cyclone meteorology

General characteristics

Highest known rainfall amounts

Maximum tropical cyclone rainfall per state for Mexico

See also

References

External links