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Hurricane Howard (2004)
Encyclopedia
Hurricane Howard was a powerful Category 4 hurricane which produced large swells along the coasts of Baja California
and southern California
. The eighth named storm
of the 2004 Pacific hurricane season
, Howard originated out of a tropical wave
off the coast of Mexico on August 30. Traveling towards the northwest, the storm gradually strengthened, becoming a hurricane on September 1 and reaching its peak intensity the following day with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h). Decreasing sea surface temperatures then caused the storm to weaken. By September 4, Howard was downgraded to a tropical storm. The next day, it degenerated into a non-convective remnant low pressure area
which persisted for another five days before dissipating over open waters.
Although the storm never made landfall, the fringe effects of the storm produced significant flooding across the Baja California peninsula
which damaged agricultural land and dozens of homes. Howard also produced large swells which reached 18 ft (5.4 m) along the Baja coastline and 10 ft (3 m) along the California
coastline. About 1,000 lifeguard rescues took place in California due to the waves. Moisture from the storm also enhanced rainfall in parts of Arizona
, leading to minor accumulations.
that moved off the west coast of Africa on August 18. The wave moved across the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea
with little associated convection. By August 26, the wave produced disorganized convection as it moved through the western Caribbean, across Central America, and entered the eastern Pacific Ocean. Paralleling the southern coast of Mexico, the wave became increasingly organized and it was estimated that the tropical wave spawned a tropical depression around 1200 UTC
on August 30 about 400 mi (645 km) south-southwest of Acapulco
, Mexico. Classified as Tropical Depression Eleven-E, the system tracked west-northwestward under the steering currents of a weak mid-level ridge
. In the hours after formation, the depression lacked a concentration of deep convection near the center. However, conditions favored eventual development
, including warm sea surface temperatures and low amounts of wind shear
.
Based on increased organization and the formation of banding features
, it was estimated that the cyclone intensified into Tropical Storm Howard at 0000 UTC on August 31. A mid-level anticyclone
located over southern California
was steering the storm towards the northwest. Early on September 1, the National Hurricane Center
(NHC) stated that Howard had an 80 percent chance of undergoing rapid intensification
based on further development of the storm and a highly favorable environment around the cyclone. Based on the formation of an eye feature
, the NHC upgraded Howard to a hurricane early on September 1 while the storm was located about 420 mi (675 km) southwest of Manzanillo, Colima
. Later that day, the eye of Howard became apparent on satellite imagery, which organized into a pinhole eye surrounded by a ring of symmetric, deep convection. At 0600 UTC on September 2, Howard was upgraded to a major hurricane—a storm with winds of 111 mph (178 km/h) or higher. Shortly after, the cyclone reached its peak intensity as a low-end Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
, with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) while located about 410 mi (660 km) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California Sur
.
Not long after reaching peak intensity, the storm moved over cooler waters, causing the eyewall
to deteriorate and cloud tops to warm. The next day, the eye of Howard disappeared from satellite imagery, leading to the cyclone being downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane. Continued deterioration of the system caused rapid weakening, with Howard being downgraded to a tropical storm by 1200 UTC on September 4. Convection associated with the storm was separated from the center later that day. Early on September 5, Howard was further downgraded to a tropical depression and later degenerated into a non-convective remnant low pressure area
about 265 mi (425 km) west-southwest of Punta Eugenia, Mexico. The remnants of the hurricane continued towards the northwest before turning towards the southwest the following day as it tracked along the southeast side of a ridge of high pressure. The low continued in this general direction until it dissipated on September 10 about 1,150 mi (1,850 km) west of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
were issued. One ship, the Strong Virginian, reported sustained winds 42 mph (68 km/h) at 0600 UTC
on September 4. Along the Baja California peninsula
, 16–18 ft (4.8–5.4 m) swells were reported. All ships were required to remain at port due to the rough seas. Heavy rains in the mountainous and Pacific coastal areas of Baja California produced flooding which washed out several roads in San José del Cabo
. The rains did help increase water levels in some reservoirs in Baja California. An estimated 2,000 hectares of agricultural land was damaged by the storm and 48 households were damaged throughout four communities. State and federal authorities purchased temporary homes for those who needed shelter in the affected areas. The State Civil Protection in Mexico provided rehabilitation for a total of 393 homes affected by Howard.
Large swells produced by the storm resulted in about 1,000 lifeguard rescues in Orange County, California
. High temperatures in southern California, exceeding 100°F (37.7°C) in places, and cool ocean temperatures led to an estimated 575,000 people going to beaches during the Labor Day
weekend. One incident required 25 rescues as dozens of people were overwhelmed by 8–10 ft (2.4–3 m) waves. Officials in San Bernardino County
advised residents to take precautions for the possibility of flooding as a result of moisture from the remnants of Howard. Following wildfires in 2003, foothills were highly susceptible to flooding. Residents were advised to have sandbags ready, ensure their emergency supplies were stocked and have an evacuation plan. Despite all the preparations undertaken, Howard did not produced any rainfall in California. The moisture also enhanced rainfall across portions of Arizona. This led to minor rainfall accumulations throughout the state.
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
and southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The eighth named storm
Tropical cyclone naming
Tropical cyclones have officially been named since 1945 and are named for a variety of reasons, which include to facilitate communications between forecasters and the public when forecasts, watches, and warnings are issued. Names also reduce confusion about what storm is being described, as more...
of the 2004 Pacific hurricane season
2004 Pacific hurricane season
The 2004 Pacific hurricane season officially started on May 15, 2004 in the eastern Pacific, and on June 1, 2004 in the central Pacific, and lasted until November 30, 2004...
, Howard originated out of a tropical wave
Tropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
off the coast of Mexico on August 30. Traveling towards the northwest, the storm gradually strengthened, becoming a hurricane on September 1 and reaching its peak intensity the following day with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h). Decreasing sea surface temperatures then caused the storm to weaken. By September 4, Howard was downgraded to a tropical storm. The next day, it degenerated into a non-convective remnant low pressure area
Low pressure area
A low-pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure at sea level is below that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure systems form under areas of wind divergence which occur in upper levels of the troposphere. The formation process of a low-pressure area is known as...
which persisted for another five days before dissipating over open waters.
Although the storm never made landfall, the fringe effects of the storm produced significant flooding across the Baja California peninsula
Baja California Peninsula
The Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...
which damaged agricultural land and dozens of homes. Howard also produced large swells which reached 18 ft (5.4 m) along the Baja coastline and 10 ft (3 m) along the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coastline. About 1,000 lifeguard rescues took place in California due to the waves. Moisture from the storm also enhanced rainfall in parts of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, leading to minor accumulations.
Meteorological history
Hurricane Howard began as a tropical waveTropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
that moved off the west coast of Africa on August 18. The wave moved across the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
with little associated convection. By August 26, the wave produced disorganized convection as it moved through the western Caribbean, across Central America, and entered the eastern Pacific Ocean. Paralleling the southern coast of Mexico, the wave became increasingly organized and it was estimated that the tropical wave spawned a tropical depression around 1200 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on August 30 about 400 mi (645 km) south-southwest of Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, Mexico. Classified as Tropical Depression Eleven-E, the system tracked west-northwestward under the steering currents of a weak mid-level ridge
Ridge (meteorology)
A ridge is an elongated region of relatively high atmospheric pressure, the opposite of a trough....
. In the hours after formation, the depression lacked a concentration of deep convection near the center. However, conditions favored eventual development
Tropical cyclogenesis
Tropical cyclogenesis is the term that describes 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 mid-latitude cyclogenesis occurs...
, including warm sea surface temperatures and low amounts of wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
.
Based on increased organization and the formation of banding features
Rainband
A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands can be stratiform or convective, and are generated by differences in temperature. When noted on weather radar imagery, this precipitation elongation is referred to as...
, it was estimated that the cyclone intensified into Tropical Storm Howard at 0000 UTC on August 31. A mid-level anticyclone
Anticyclone
An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined by the United States' National Weather Service's glossary as "[a] large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere"...
located over southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
was steering the storm towards the northwest. Early on September 1, the National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
(NHC) stated that Howard had an 80 percent chance of undergoing rapid intensification
Rapid deepening
Rapid deepening, also known as rapid intensification, is a meteorological condition that occurs when the minimum sea-level atmospheric pressure of a tropical cyclone decreases drastically in a short period of time. The National Weather Service describes rapid deepening as a decrease of...
based on further development of the storm and a highly favorable environment around the cyclone. Based on the formation of an eye feature
Eye (cyclone)
The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30–65 km in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the second most severe weather of a cyclone...
, the NHC upgraded Howard to a hurricane early on September 1 while the storm was located about 420 mi (675 km) southwest of Manzanillo, Colima
Manzanillo, Colima
The name Manzanillo refers to the city as well as its surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Colima. The city, located on the Pacific Ocean, contains Mexico's busiest port. Manzanillo was the third port created by the Spanish in the Pacific during the New Spain period...
. Later that day, the eye of Howard became apparent on satellite imagery, which organized into a pinhole eye surrounded by a ring of symmetric, deep convection. At 0600 UTC on September 2, Howard was upgraded to a major hurricane—a storm with winds of 111 mph (178 km/h) or higher. Shortly after, the cyclone reached its peak intensity as a low-end Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale , or the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , classifies hurricanes — Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms — into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds...
, with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) while located about 410 mi (660 km) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises...
.
Not long after reaching peak intensity, the storm moved over cooler waters, causing the eyewall
Eye (cyclone)
The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30–65 km in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the second most severe weather of a cyclone...
to deteriorate and cloud tops to warm. The next day, the eye of Howard disappeared from satellite imagery, leading to the cyclone being downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane. Continued deterioration of the system caused rapid weakening, with Howard being downgraded to a tropical storm by 1200 UTC on September 4. Convection associated with the storm was separated from the center later that day. Early on September 5, Howard was further downgraded to a tropical depression and later degenerated into a non-convective remnant low pressure area
Low pressure area
A low-pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure at sea level is below that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure systems form under areas of wind divergence which occur in upper levels of the troposphere. The formation process of a low-pressure area is known as...
about 265 mi (425 km) west-southwest of Punta Eugenia, Mexico. The remnants of the hurricane continued towards the northwest before turning towards the southwest the following day as it tracked along the southeast side of a ridge of high pressure. The low continued in this general direction until it dissipated on September 10 about 1,150 mi (1,850 km) west of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Preparations and Impact
Because Howard remained away from land no tropical cyclone warnings and watchesTropical cyclone warnings and watches
Warnings and watches are two levels of alert 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 population and civil authorities to make appropriate...
were issued. One ship, the Strong Virginian, reported sustained winds 42 mph (68 km/h) at 0600 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on September 4. Along the Baja California peninsula
Baja California Peninsula
The Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...
, 16–18 ft (4.8–5.4 m) swells were reported. All ships were required to remain at port due to the rough seas. Heavy rains in the mountainous and Pacific coastal areas of Baja California produced flooding which washed out several roads in San José del Cabo
San José del Cabo
The city of San José del Cabo is located in Baja California Sur Mexico and is the seat of the municipality of Los Cabos at the south end of the Baja California peninsula. In the 2010 census it had a population of 69,788. Together with neighboring Cabo San Lucas it forms a major tourist destination...
. The rains did help increase water levels in some reservoirs in Baja California. An estimated 2,000 hectares of agricultural land was damaged by the storm and 48 households were damaged throughout four communities. State and federal authorities purchased temporary homes for those who needed shelter in the affected areas. The State Civil Protection in Mexico provided rehabilitation for a total of 393 homes affected by Howard.
Large swells produced by the storm resulted in about 1,000 lifeguard rescues in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
. High temperatures in southern California, exceeding 100°F (37.7°C) in places, and cool ocean temperatures led to an estimated 575,000 people going to beaches during the Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
weekend. One incident required 25 rescues as dozens of people were overwhelmed by 8–10 ft (2.4–3 m) waves. Officials in San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
advised residents to take precautions for the possibility of flooding as a result of moisture from the remnants of Howard. Following wildfires in 2003, foothills were highly susceptible to flooding. Residents were advised to have sandbags ready, ensure their emergency supplies were stocked and have an evacuation plan. Despite all the preparations undertaken, Howard did not produced any rainfall in California. The moisture also enhanced rainfall across portions of Arizona. This led to minor rainfall accumulations throughout the state.
See also
- Timeline of the 2004 Pacific hurricane seasonTimeline of the 2004 Pacific hurricane seasonThe 2004 Pacific hurricane season had 17 tropical cyclones, of which 12 became named storms, 6 became hurricanes, and 3 became major hurricanes . This timeline documents all the storm formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, as well as dissipation...
- Other tropical cyclones of the same nameHurricane HowardThe name Howard has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.* 1980's Hurricane Howard* 1986's Tropical Storm Howard* 1992's Tropical Storm Howard* 1998's Hurricane Howard* Hurricane Howard...