Hurricane Barbara Landfall In Mexico: Will Storm Hit Texas? [VIDEO & REPORT] By Staff Reporter on May 29, 2013 10:31 PM EDT

Hurricane Barbara Landfall In Mexico: Will Storm Hit Texas? [VIDEO & REPORT]

By Staff Reporter on May 29, 2013 10:31 PM EDT

Hurricane Barbara makes landfall in Mexico. Two have been confirmed dead since the storm struck. (Photo: National Hurricane Center)

Hurricane Barbara made landfall on the southern Pacific coast on Wednesday as the hurricane struck the state of Oaxaca. According to records, Barbara marks the second earliest landfall since 1966.

According to Oaxaca director of civil defense Manuel Maza Sanchez, Hurricane Barbara has already claimed the lives of two victims.

The first victim was a 61-year-old man from Colorado. The American was killed while surfing at Playa Azul beach of the Puerto Escondido resort town. Hurricane Barbara made landfall approximately 120 miles east of the beach. Sanchez announced the man was dragged out by Hurricane Barbara waves and was later found battered against the shore.

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The second victim was a 26-year-old Mexican man that drowned while attempting to cross a rain-swollen creek. The incident took place in the city of Pinotepa Nacional.

Hurricane Barbara made landfall on a sparsely populated stretch of Mexico's southern Pacific coast Wednesday, the second-earliest landfall since reliable record-keeping began in 1966. At least two people were killed, including a man identified by local officials as a U.S. surfer.

At the heart of the landfall zone of Hurricane Barbara, 14 fishermen of Tapanatepec, Oaxaca, were out at sea Wednesday morning and never returned. 

Oaxaca has responded to the Hurricane Barbara landfall as officials rushed to prepare emergency shelters. Schools were suspended in coastal communities.

Another critical area of the landfall region is the Gulf oil port at Coatzacoalcos. Coatzacoalcos is at the other side of Mexico's narrow waist. According to the hurricane center, Hurricane Barbara is expected to be significantly weakened by the time it reaches the oil port.

While there is a possibility of Hurricane Barbara regaining strength as itreaches the Gulf of Mexico, local news station kristv.com reported that Hurricane Barbara will not pose a threat to the Texas southern coastline. However, areas will experience winds of up to 40 mph.

The National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided the following public advisory of Hurricane Barbara:

DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 500 PM PDT...0000 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM BARBARA WAS
LOCATED INLAND OVER SOUTHEASTERN MEXICO NEAR LATITUDE 16.7 NORTH...
LONGITUDE 93.9 WEST.  BARBARA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST
NEAR 9 MPH...15 KM/H...AND A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH IS EXPECTED
TONIGHT.  ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE
OVER SOUTHEASTERN MEXICO TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY...AND INTO THE
EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN GULF OF MEXICO AS A REMNANT LOW LATER ON
THURSDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 60 MPH...95 KM/H...
WITH HIGHER GUSTS.  RAPID WEAKENING WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AND EARLY
THURSDAY...AND BARBARA IS EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE WITHIN THE NEXT DAY
OR SO.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 70 MILES...110 KM
FROM THE CENTER.  AN AUTOMATED MEXICAN NAVY OBSERVING STATION AT
PAREDON IN CHIAPAS MEASURED A PEAK GUST TO 75 MPH...120 KM/H
SEVERAL HOURS AGO.

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 993 MB...29.32 INCHES.


HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
RAINFALL...BARBARA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS
OF 6 TO 10 INCHES OVER EASTERN OAXACA AND WESTERN CHIAPAS MEXICO...
WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 20 INCHES POSSIBLE IN SOUTHEASTERN
OAXACA.  THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND
MUD SLIDES.

WIND...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE AFFECTING THE COAST WITHIN THE
WARNING AREA.  THESE CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT
FEW HOURS.

STORM SURGE...WATER LEVELS ALONG THE COAST OF THE GULF OF
TEHUANTEPEC SHOULD BE SUBSIDING DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.

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Hurricane Barbara hits land in Mexico, 2 dead

Agence France-Presse

Posted at 05/30/2013 7:08 PM | Updated as of 05/30/2013 7:08 PM

OAXACA, Mexico - Hurricane Barbara made landfall in Mexico's southern Pacific coast, leaving at least two dead including a 61-year-old US surfer before being downgraded to a tropical depression Thursday.
Twelve Mexican fishermen who went out to sea Monday night, before word of the approaching bad weather came in, are missing, said a local mayor.
The storm was later downgraded to a tropical storm, and then to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers (35 miles) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said.
It had made landfall in the state of Chiapas, a rural region with archeological sites near the neighboring state of Oaxaca. Hundreds of people were evacuated from affected areas in Chiapas, state civil protection officials said.
The US man "was dragged by the waves and died" after he ignored a ban on entering the beach in the town of Salina Cruz in Oaxaca, state civil protection director Manuel Maza told AFP.
The second victim was a 27-year-old man who was swept away by an overflowing river in the Oaxaca town of Pinotepa Nacional, Mayor Carlos Sarabia said.
In the state of Guerrero, heavy rains flooded some streets of the resort city of Acapulco, with water levels reaching 52 centimeters (20 inches) and sweeping away at least three cars, an AFP correspondent said.
Oaxaca authorities had urged residents to stay home, while the ports of Salina Cruz, Huatulco, Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido were shut down. Some 200 families were taken to shelters, officials said.
Barbara grew into a category one hurricane -- the lowest on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale -- before making landfall west of the Chiapas town of Tonala, the US hurricane center said.
In its 0900 GMT Thursday bulletin, the center said the storm would degenerate to a "remnant low" on Thursday.
It said Barbara was expected to produce total rain accumulations of six to 10 inches, with maximum amounts of 20 inches possible over portions of southeast Mexico.
These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides, the center said.
In March 2012, two girls died and 25,000 homes were affected when Hurricane Carlotta tore across Oaxaca.
© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

Hurricane Barbara slams into Mexico's Pacific Coast; two dead

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A man tries to rescue his stranded vehicle in the Pacific port of Acapulco, in Guerrero, Mexico(Francisca Meza / EPA / May 29, 2013)

By Richard Fausset

May 29, 2013, 8:26 p.m.

MEXICO CITY -- Hurricane Barbara slammed into the Pacific Coast of Mexico Wednesday, leaving two people dead and 14 fishermen missing in the state of Oaxaca, before reportedly being downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved north toward the Gulf of Mexico.

The Oaxacan state government reported that a 25-year-old man in the municipality of Pinotepa Nacional drowned, apparently while trying to cross a riverbed that was quickly filling with water from the pounding rainstorm. (Link in Spanish)

On the Oaxacan coast, in an area called Playa Azul, a U.S. surfer named Douglas Ketchum, 61, died in heavy surf, the state government reported.

Notimex, the official Mexican news agency, reported that the missing fishermen were from the municipality of Tapanatepec. (Link in Spanish)

The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that the center of the storm was on land in southern Mexico at 5 p.m. Wednesday. It was expected to head north, seriously weakened by the time it arrives in the Gulf of Mexico late Thursday.

On Wednesday evening, however, maximum sustained winds were still as high as 60 miles per hour, and officials warned residents of the possibility of flash flooding and mudslides.

Officials had shut down ports along the Pacific coast of Oaxaca and neighboring Chiapas before the storm hit. Serious flooding was also reported in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco, in Guerrero state.

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richard.fausset@latimes.com

Hurricane leaves 5000 victims in Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico

Hurricane leaves 5000 victims in Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico

Mexico, May 30 (Prensa Latina) Hurricane Barbara left a toll of 5,000 victims in the southern states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, authorities from both states reported today. They also confirmed the deaths of two people, who have already been identified, and 12 missing fishermen. The fatalities are Douglas Ketchum, a tourist from United States who was surfing in Salina Cruz municipality when the hurricane hit the territory, and Emanuel Salinas, who was swept away by a surging river in the town of Pinotepa Nacional. Barbara hit the Pacific ocean coast of Mexico yesterday as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale, but as it moved inland, it became a tropical storm. It caused torrential rains in the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guerrero and southern Veracruz, as well as heavy rains in the Yucatan Peninsula. This is the second hurricane of the season in the Pacific after Alvin, which was recorded on May 15th and 17th. Fourteen storms have been forecast by the Mexican Meteorological Service for this season, six of which could be tropical storms, 4 moderate hurricanes and 4 more intense hurricanes. sus/sa/eav/rc/jgs

Modificado el ( jueves, 30 de mayo de 2013 )

Hurricane Barbara Landfall: 2 Dead In Oaxaca As Barbara Weakens To Tropical Storm By David Iaconangelo, May 30, 2013 09:56 AM EDT

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Hurricane Barbara Landfall: 2 Dead In Oaxaca As Barbara Weakens To Tropical Storm

By David Iaconangelo, May 30, 2013 09:56 AM EDT

(PHOTO CREDIT: Creative Commons) Hurricane Ernesto approaches the coast of Mexico in 2012. Seven people died in hurricane-related phenomenon, and the storm caused hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

Two people have been confirmed dead as Hurricane Barbara made landfall yesterday afternoon on southern Pacific states in Mexico.  A 26-year-old Mexican man, Emanuel Salinas López, drowned on Tuesday night after trying to cross a swollen stream in Pinotepa Nacional, in the state of Oaxaca.  And a 61-year-old American, Douglas Ketchum, died while surfing at Playa Azul, a beach near the resort town of Puerto Escondido.  14 fishermen who launched their boats on Wednesday morning in Tapanatepec, also in Oaxaca state, have since been reported missing, according to the Associated Press.  Barbara has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.

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Also on Tuesday prior to the storm's landfall, a 55-year-old man attempted to cross a stream near Santa Cruz Zenzontepec, Oaxaca, and was swept away by the current.  Authorities have not managed to find him.

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Upon its arrival ashore yesterday afternoon, Hurricane Barbara's winds were about 75 mph, though by evening the maximum sustained winds had dropped to about 60 mph. 

Fishing villages along the coast were the hardest hit, with some 500 residences under floodwaters which rose as high as six feet, according to La Jornada.  3,600 inhabitants of villages in the Tapanatepec area are in shelters.  The municipal president has said that about 13,000 hectares of mango fields have also suffered damages.

Before Barbara was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane yesterday, the Civil Protection System declared a red alert on 44 of Chiapas state's 144 municipalities due to heavy rains, and more than 1,000 schools suspended classes both in Chiapas and in Oaxaca.

The Federal Electricity Commission reported that it had dispatched over 800 workers to the red alert zone as well as 320 vehicles, 153 cranes, a helicopter and 113 emergency generators.

A tropical storm alert remains in place from Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, to Pijijiapan, Chiapas.  Heavy rains are expected to continue in the eastern part of Oaxaca and the west of Chiapas.  The storm is expected to downgrade into a rain system well before it reaches Coatzacoalcos, a major Gulf oil port located on the other side of the narrow strip of land known as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

The US National Hurricane Center says that the eye of the storm will continue moving over the southeast of Mexico before dissipating on Friday.  Mexico's Meteorological Service has predicted 14 storms for this season, of which six may become tropical storms, four moderate-sized hurricanes and four others hurricanes of a large scale.

Hurricane Barbara makes landfall in Mexico as 2nd earliest on record; US surfer among 2 dead

WEATHER UNDERGROUND/Associated Press - This NOAA satellite image taken Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 10:45 AM EDT shows a low pressure system over the central United States with widespread showers and thunderstorms from Texas into the Northern Plains. Farther east, a warm front extended into the Northeast with showers and thunderstorms. Tropical Storm Barbara can be seen south of Mexico.

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By Associated Press, Published: May 29

OAXACA, Mexico — Hurricane Barbara made landfall on a sparsely populated stretch of Mexico’s southern Pacific coast Wednesday, the second-earliest landfall since reliable record-keeping began in 1966. At least two people were killed, including a man identified by local officials as a U.S. surfer.

The director of civil defense for Oaxaca state, Manuel Maza Sanchez, said a 61-year-old man from Colorado died while surfing at Playa Azul, a beach near the resort town of Puerto Escondido, as Barbara made landfall about 120 miles (200 kilometers) to the east. He said the man was dragged out by waves kicked up by Barbara and then battered against the shore.

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The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City was not immediately able to confirm the man’s name, nationality or hometown.

Maza Sanchez also said a 26-year-old Mexican man drowned in the nearby city of Pinotepa Nacional while trying to cross a rain-swollen creek.

Farther to the east, near the landfall area, 14 fishermen who set out to sea Wednesday morning in the town of Tapanatepec, Oaxaca, had been reported missing, Maza said.

Barbara made landfall at midafternoon with winds of about 75 mph (120 kph) and headed inland, where it was expected to weaken quickly.

On May 23, the National Hurricane Center had said odds favor a below-normal hurricane season in the eastern Pacific for 2013. It said 11 to 16 named storms were likely, below the 15-storm annual average for 1981-2010.

But Barbara appeared to start the Pacific season unusually early, and it also made landfall farther east than any other Pacific hurricane since 1966. Such storms often form closer to the resort of Acapulco, to the west.

The hurricane was moving roughly north over land at about 9 mph (15 kph) over sparsely populated terrain, but flooding was reported in some areas and could remain a threat even after the storm weakened.

Officials in Oaxaca had rushed to prepare emergency shelters and suspended school for children in coastal communities as rain began lashing the coast when the storm formed close to shore.

The area first hit by the storm is a largely undeveloped stretch of coastal lagoons, punctuated by small fishing villages.

The major Gulf oil port of Coatzacoalcos is located on the other side of the narrow waist of Mexico known as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. But the hurricane center said the storm should weaken rapidly once it hit land, well before reaching Coatzacoalcos.

Maza Sanchez said ports had been closed to navigation in tourist resorts of Puerto Angel, Puerto Escondido and Huatulco, all located more than 120 miles (200 kilometers) to the west.

He said classes would be suspended at schools along the coast for the rest of the week. Storm shelters were being set up in 20 towns and hamlets. Such shelters are frequently installed at local schools.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Hurricane Barbara floods Mexico's southern Pacific coast

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Hurricane Barbara makes landfall in Mexico

Hurricane Barbara makes landfall in Mexico by reuters

Hurricane Barbara weakens to tropical depression in Mexico Hurricane Barbara battered southeastern Mexico and left at least two fatalities, including a Colorado man who was surfing. Hurricane Barbara was the second earliest hurricane to make landfall in recorded history. By Sayra Cruz, Associated Press / May 30, 2013

Hurricane Barbara weakens to tropical depression in Mexico

Hurricane Barbara battered southeastern Mexico and left at least two fatalities, including a Colorado man who was surfing. Hurricane Barbara was the second earliest hurricane to make landfall in recorded history.

By Sayra Cruz, Associated Press / May 30, 2013

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Hurricane Barbara is visible (lower left) in this satellite image taken the afternoon of May 29, 2013. Barbara has now weakened into a tropical depression.

NASA - NOAA GOES Project/Handout via Reuters

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OAXACA, MEXICO

Hurricane Barbara drenched a sparsely populated stretch of Mexico's southern Pacific coast with rain Wednesday after making the second-earliest landfall since reliable record-keeping began in 1966. It quickly lost strength over land but not before killing at least two people, including a man identified by local officials as a U.S. surfer.

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By evening, Barbara had weakened to a tropical storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. On Thursday morning, the Center said that Barbara continues to weaken as it moves inland, dumping heavy rain across portions of southeastern Mexico. Already parts of the state of Chiapas have had 16 inches for rain.

The director of civil defense for Oaxaca state, Manuel Maza Sanchez, said a 61-year-old man from Colorado died while surfing at Playa Azul, a beach near the resort town of Puerto Escondido, when Barbara made landfall at midafternoon as a Category 1 hurricane about 120 miles (200 kilometers) to the east. He said the man was dragged out by waves kicked up by Barbara and then battered against the shore.

RECOMMENDED: Hurricane preparedness: 5 things you can do to keep safe

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City was not immediately able to confirm the man's name, nationality or hometown.

Maza Sanchez also said a 26-year-old Mexican man drowned in the nearby city of Pinotepa Nacional while trying to cross a rain-swollen creek.

Farther to the east, near the landfall area, 14 fishermen who set out to sea Wednesday morning from the town of Tapanatepec had been reported missing, Maza said.

Barbara came ashore with winds of about 75 mph (120 kph) and lost power as it moved inland. By Wednesday night, maximum sustained winds had dropped to 50 mph (85 kph) as the storm slogged northward, but flooding was reported in some areas and remained a threat.

On May 23, the National Hurricane Center had said odds favor a above-normal hurricane season in the eastern Pacific for 2013.

As The Christian Science Monitor reported:

Indeed, the season could be extremely active, according to Kathryn Sullivan, acting administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Forecasters at the agency's Climate Prediction Center anticipate from 13 to 20 tropical storms over the six-month season. Of those, between seven and 11 are expected to become hurricanes, with three to six of the hurricanes expected to reach "major" status, meaning they host maximum sustained winds topping 111 miles an hour.

But Barbara appeared to start the Pacific hurricane season unusually early, and it also made landfall farther east than any other Pacific hurricane since 1966. Such storms often form closer to the resort of Acapulco, to the west.

Officials in Oaxaca had rushed to prepare emergency shelters and suspended school for children in coastal communities as rain began lashing the coast when the storm formed close to shore.

The area first hit by the storm is a largely undeveloped stretch of coastal lagoons, punctuated by small fishing villages.

The major Gulf oil port of Coatzacoalcos is located on the other side of the narrow waist of Mexico known as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. But the hurricane center predicted Barbara would dissipate into a rain system well before reaching Coatzacoalcos.

Maza Sanchez said classes would be suspended at schools along the coast for the rest of the week. Storm shelters were set up in 20 towns and hamlets, and such shelters are often installed at schools.

RECOMMENDED: Hurricane preparedness: 5 things you can do to keep safe

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Related stories

• Hurricane preparedness: 5 things you can do to keep safe
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