Tropical Storm Sonia was a weak, late-season tropical cyclone that made a rare landfall 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 ...

during early-November 2013.

Meteorological history

The origins of Tropical Storm Sonia can be traced to a well-defined active phase of the

Madden–Julian oscillation The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is the largest element of the intraseasonal (30- to 90-day) variability in the tropical atmosphere. It was discovered in 1971 by Roland Madden and Paul Julian of the American National Center for Atmospheric R ...

(MJO) that traversed eastward from the Central Pacific during late-October 2013. This was credited to the development of a very-broad low-level cyclonic circulation, over an area of nearly 15° of

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

well offshore

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 ...

. 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 ...

located several hundred miles to the south of

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

gradually entered the cyclonic circulation late on October 26, producing deep

convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the convec ...

. Over the next couple of days convective activity halted, until becoming active again following the passage of the MJO on October 29, aiding the formation of a

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 ...

low pressure In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...

. The trough slowly drifted northward in a passage between 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 ...

over the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, 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 ...

and a deep mid-to-upper level trough over the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

. At 6:00 UTC the next day, the

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 the disturbance for potential

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 ...

over the next few days.

Preparations and impact

In advance of Sonia, a

Tropical Storm 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 ...

was ordered for the coast of

from

Topolobampo Topolobampo () is a port on the Gulf of California in northwestern Sinaloa, Mexico. It is the fourth-largest town in the municipality of Ahome (after Los Mochis, Ahome, and Higuera de Zaragoza), reporting a 2010 census population of 6,361 inhabit ...

to La Cruz, late on November 2. This was later upgraded to a Tropical Storm Warning from

Altata Altata is a small town in Navolato Municipality connected to the Pacific Ocean, located about 45 miles west of Culiacán, Sinaloa in Mexico by Freeway 30. It has a very nice beach and much wildlife: octopus, toninas, starfish, jellyfish, shark, b ...

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 ...

, Sinaloa at 9:00 UTC the next day, with a Tropical Storm Watch remaining from Altata to Topolobampo. Though just 24 hours later, all watches and warnings for Sinaloa were discontinued by 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 ...

. An overall green alert was issued for Mexico by the

Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) is a joint initiative of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the European Commission that serves to consolidate and improve the dissemination of ...

(GDACS), signifying a low-level of danger. Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection (SSCP) declared an orange alert for southern

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 ...

, a yellow alert for central and southern Sinaloa, a green alert for northern Baja California Sur, northern Sinaloa, southern

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

, southern

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

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 ...

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 ...

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

, and the

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 ...

. In addition, a blue alert was put in effect for central Sonora and central Chihuahua. Ahead of the storm, classes were cancelled in five municipalities of Sinaloa. Local officials prepared more than 60 temporary shelters in

Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Saint Luke Cape"), or simply just Cabo, is a resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As at the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 202,694 inhabitan ...

and Sinaloa. The Port of Cabo San Lucas shut down on November 3 with the threat of Sonia, closing to ships with more than 500 tons (1 million lbs.) of cargo. Tourists boats meant for water activities were also prohibited from leaving port. As a precautionary measure, over 1,000 residents were evacuated in the cities 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 ...

and

Navolato Navolato is a city in Navolato Municipality in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is located on the central coast part of the state bordering the Gulf of California. The municipality reported 135,603 inhabitants in the 2010 census, while the cit ...

. Sonia made landfall near

El Dorado, Sinaloa Eldorado is a community approximately one hour away from Culiacán 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 w ...

as a rapidly weakening tropical storm on November 4, causing heavy rainfall over portions of Mexico. Several inches of precipitation was recorded in Cabo San Lucas along with winds of around 30 mph (50 km/h), as the storm passed close to the resort city. Heavy precipitation also occurred in the states of

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 ...

, and

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes (; ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Aguascalientes), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and ...

. In Nayarit, one person was killed after being struck by lightning according to the

Secretariat of National Defense The Mexican Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA); es, Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional is the government department responsible for managing Mexico's Army and Air Forces. Its head is the Secretary of National Defense who, like the co-equal ...

(SEDENA).

References

External links

* The NHC'
advisory archive on Tropical Storm Sonia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonia (2013) Eastern Pacific tropical storms 2013 Pacific hurricane season Tropical cyclones in 2012 November 2013 events in Mexico 2013 in Mexico Hurricanes in Nayarit Hurricanes in Jalisco Hurricanes in Durango Hurricanes in Chihuahua Hurricanes in Aguascalientes

Meteorological history

Preparations and impact

See also

References

External links