NU Online News Service, June 18, 1:36 p.m. EDT
The third named storm of the Pacific hurricane season made landfall in Mexico over the weekend, but modeler AIR Worldwide says it does not expect large insured losses from the event.
Hurricane Carlotta swept onshore near Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, on Friday, strengthening from a Category 1 to a Category 2 storm and killing two children before dissipating into a tropical depression over mountainous terrain.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports that the storm created maximum sustained winds of 90 mph at landfall, which occurred about 200 miles southeast of the resort town of Acapulco, says AIR. Carlotta intensified into a Category 2 hurricane as it moved south, causing authorities to open emergency shelters in preparation.
“Carlotta was a relatively small hurricane at landfall, with hurricane force winds extending less than 30 miles from the eye,” says Tim Doggett, principal scientist at AIR, in a statement. “As a result, damaging winds affected only a small portion of the coast.”
Puerto Escondido suffered flying debris and falling trees and billboards that shattered windows. The wind peeled some light metal roofs off of commercial buildings and caused widespread structural damage to uninsured homes built without a permit, which AIR estimates make up about 50 percent of the region's residences.
The storm almost nipped the 330,000 barrel-per-day Salina Cruz oil refinery, but Mexico's largest oil plant remained open as Carlotta passed north of the facility. No damage was reported from Acapulco.
The worst is over now that the NHC has downgraded Carlotta to a tropical depression, but flooding and landslide risks linger as weak steering currents and heavy rains continue to affect the area.
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