Tropical Storm Bret was a short-lived

tropical storm 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 ...

of the

2005 Atlantic hurricane season The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in history, until the record was broken 15 years later in 2020. The season broke numerous records at the time, with 28 tropical or subtropical storms recorded. ...

that 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 ...

in the Mexican state of

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

, the first of four during the season. The second named storm of the season, Bret developed along 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 ...

on June 28 in the

Bay of Campeche The Bay of Campeche ( es, Bahía de Campeche), or Campeche Sound, is a bight (geography), bight in the southern area of the Gulf of Mexico, forming the north side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexico, Mexic ...

, and quickly intensified. Tracking to the west-northwest, Bret moved ashore within 24 hours of forming, and dissipated shortly thereafter. Bret was the first of six

tropical cyclones 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 ...

(three hurricanes, two of them major, and three tropical storms) to make

in Mexico during the season. With the formation of the tropical storm on June 28, the 2005 season became the first since

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

with two storms in the month of June. The storm dropped heavy rainfall along its path, peaking at 266 mm (10.67 inches). About 7,500 people were affected, and damage was estimated at 100 million pesos (2005 MXN, US$9.3 million). Two people died related to the storm.

Meteorological history

accompanied by a weak surface

low-pressure area 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 ...

crossed Central America and eastern Mexico from June 24 through June 27. An area of disturbed weather associated with the system moved into the

early on June 28, though initially unfavorable upper-level

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 ...

and land interaction limited initial development. It tracked west-northwestward at 8–16 km/h (5–10 mph), and after moving into open waters the organization of deep convection increased with curved banding features developing. Based on data from a hurricane hunters flight into the system, it is estimated it developed into Tropical Depression Two at 18:00 UTC on June 28, while located about northeast of the city of

. At the time of its first advisory, the government of Mexico 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 ...

from Veracruz to

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth ...

. About four hours after formation, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Bret, upon which it attained a minimum central pressure of 1002

mbar The bar is a metric unit of pressure, but not part of the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as exactly equal to 100,000 Pa (100 kPa), or slightly less than the current average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea leve ...

. Shortly thereafter, its appearance on radar deteriorated, and convection warmed around the center. With a mid-level

anticyclone An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined as a large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from abov ...

over

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 ...

, Bret tracked steadily to the west-northwest, and began to re-organize just before moving ashore; at 12:00 UTC on June 29, the storm made

just southeast of

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 ...

with winds of 65 km/h (40 mph). After crossing the coast, the storm quickly degenerated to tropical depression status, though Bret retained a well-organized cloud pattern with deep convection. The center turned to the north-northwest, and early on June 30 Bret dissipated inland over Mexico.

Impact

Tropical Storm Bret produced heavy rainfall along its path, with a peak 24‑hour rainfall total of 266 mm (10.47 inches) recorded in El Raudal,

; several other locations reported over 4 inches (100 mm) of precipitation. The rainfall caused widespread flooding in

, especially in the city of Naranjos where an overflown river flooded portions of the city with 2 m (7 ft) of water. Bret killed two people in Mexico – one in Naranjos and the other in Cerro Azul. The damage total from Bret was estimated at 100 million pesos (2005 MXN, US$9.3 million). Shortly after the passage of the storm, the government of Veracruz opened 6,000 emergency storm shelters for impacted citizens. Floodwaters from the rainfall inundated scores of houses and cars, forcing 2,800 people to evacuate, and affecting 7,500 families in Veracruz. The Mexican Army, combined with the efforts of police officers and state officials, worked with amphibious vehicles to rescue families in flooded houses, of whom many waited on rooftops. Landslides from the flooding cut communications and left 66 villages temporarily isolated. Across Veracruz, the most affected localities were Naranjos,

Chinampa de Gorostiza Chinampa de Gorostiza is in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in the north of the State of Veracruz, about from state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of . It is located at . The municipality of Chinampa de Gorostiza is bordered to the south by T ...

Tamalín Tamalín is a municipality located in the north zone in the State of Veracruz. It has a surface of 417.85 km2. It is located at . By Decree of November 13, 1875 there was raised in municipality Tamalín's congregation that concerned to Tantima's m ...

, Tantima,

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Liberalism in Mexico, Mexican liberal politician and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. As a Zapotec peoples, Zapo ...

Tamiahua Tamiahua is a municipality located in the northern part of the state of Veracruz in Mexico. It covers an area of 985.4 km2. It is located at the southern end of the Tamiahua Lagoon. The name may come from the Náhuatl language ''Tla-mia-hua- ...

, and Tempoal de Sánchez. The government of

declared a state of emergency for 14

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

. Damage in the state totaled over 100 million pesos (2005 MXN, US$9.3 million); the state government requested 100 million pesos (2005 MXN, US$9.3 million) in reconstruction aid.

References

External links

NHC's archive on Tropical Storm Bret
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bret (2005) 2005 Atlantic hurricane season Atlantic tropical storms Atlantic hurricanes in Mexico

Tropical Storm Bret The name Bret has been used for seven tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean. * Tropical Storm Bret (1981), made landfall in southern Maryland, no real damage * Tropical Storm Bret (1987), short-lived storm, remained in the eastern Atlantic Ocean * ...

Tropical cyclones in 2005

Meteorological history

Impact

See also

References

External links