10 years ago today

[Andrew92]

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1997pauline.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Pauline

Probably the most forgotten hurricane of the last 25 years, and probably the worst hurricane to ever hit Mexico.

[gilbert88]

Talk about worst possible scenarios... a Cat. 4 stalling over the poorest region in Mexico, really prone to mudslides even with the smallest thunderstorm. It was a real tragedy... easily one of the worst weather events ever to impact Mexico, along with Gilbert and Wilma.

[Category 5]

Costliest Hurricane in Mexicos history. A terrible Hurricane that goes disgustingly overlooked.

[Derek Ortt]

it's overlooked because it is the EPAC

Even Hawaii hits are overlooked here (and part of the reason why my ignore list is long). Remember the total lack of interest in Flossie...

[Coredesat]

it's overlooked because it is the EPAC

Even Hawaii hits are overlooked here (and part of the reason why my ignore list is long). Remember the total lack of interest in Flossie...

Quoted for emphasis, this is a pretty serious problem. These sorts of storms make the apathy toward other basins (or other countries, i.e. Dean and Felix) quite irritating.

At any rate, this was a major disaster for some very poor areas of Mexico. Nearly 400 dead, plus $9 billion is huge for Mexico.

[Category 5]

it's overlooked because it is the EPAC

Even Hawaii hits are overlooked here (and part of the reason why my ignore list is long). Remember the total lack of interest in Flossie...

Quoted for emphasis, this is a pretty serious problem. These sorts of storms make the apathy toward other basins (or other countries, i.e. Dean and Felix) quite irritating.

At any rate, this was a major disaster for some very poor areas of Mexico. Nearly 400 dead, plus $9 billion is huge for Mexico.

It's overlooked for 2 reasons

1. It's the EPAC
2. It's not the CONUS.

9 Billion dollars in damage in Mexico is insane, thats enough to be the 7th costliest in U.S history.

[RL3AO]

$9B in damage for a Mexico storm is incredible.

[Sanibel]

Hawaiian hurricanes fascinate me because they are so rare. The Hawaiians had a name for them. I bet they were feared like the volcano gods.

I think this Mexican hurricane was the one where they had all that brown water flooding video.

[Andrew92]

And 25 years could be very generous. This could be the most forgotten hurricane since at least Fifi in 1974.

Honestly, we really need to start caring more that we are not the only ones who get hit by these storms. Only Gilbert and Mitch seem to get talked about at all in terms of hurricanes that didn't hit the U.S.

-Andrew92

[Ptarmigan]

I remember Pauline. One of the deadliest EPAC hurricane besides Paul in 1982 and one in 1959. EPAC hurricanes are overlooked. We really need to pay attention to them because they can affect America in the form of heavy rain. The Texas October floods in 1994 and 1998 were caused by EPAC hurricanes. EPAC hurricanes are interesting because they are more active than ATL, even though it is a smaller area. Also, EPAC can be very active while WPAC and ATL is quiet.

[HurricaneBill]

I think Pauline was also overlooked because of Hurricane Linda earlier that year.

However, Pauline was destructive enough that the WMO retired the name from the EPAC list. It was replaced with Patricia.

Another overlooked hurricane was Hurricane Ismael in 1995.

[CrazyC83]

$9B in damage for a Mexico storm is incredible.

That is even higher than Wilma's damage in Mexico (about $7.5B).

[RL3AO]

$9B in damage for a Mexico storm is incredible.

That is even higher than Wilma's damage in Mexico (about $7.5B).

And Wilma affected one of the more wealthy regions of Mexico.

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

Deleted.
Sorry I misinterpreted stuff.

But yes, these tragedies are very devastating.

[Category 5]

My prayers are always with victims in the
path of the storm.

And Thank you to those in rememberance of
this storm.

But I would like to correct one false assumption:

I don't see why this is being portrayed as people
not caring for other countries. If a storm doesn't hit your
area, you probably won't remember it, and if it does, you
will. So the point is people aren't insensitive just
because they "forgot" about other storms in
other places, it's just because it didn't effect
them, so they don't remember them. That's the
way memory works, unless someone is a climate
scientist and memorizes and studies hurricanes on a
daily basis.

In so many recent threads people are saying that people
don't care about other countries. We DO care, but we won't
remember an event unless it had some association in memory
such as severe impact. So please there is no need
to make generalized assumptions about people
not caring.


Thank you.

Nobody accused you.

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

I think Mex gets hit hard during El Nino years
especially if I remember right.

**Original post here deleted

[Aslkahuna]

I remember Ismael in 1995-I have video of the low level remnants in SE Arizona (NM got some heavy rains from the mid level remnants).

Steve

[HurricaneBill]

Hurricane Pauline was Mexico's deadliest hurricane since Hurricane Liza in 1976. Liza caused a dam to collapse and flood a poor section of La Paz. At least 600 people lost their lives, although some say the toll may have been as high as 990.

[Aslkahuna]

Ismael in 1995 had a remarkably high death toll for being only a Cat 1. It was a small storm that developed quickly before making landfall over Los Mochis. Hundreds of fishermen were caught at sea in the Sea of Cortez and 200+ were killed or missing as a result of the storm. The name was retired and initially replaced with Israel but that was quickly changed to Ivo for political reasons despite the fact that Israel is a fairly common male name in Mexico.

Steve

[HurricaneBill]

Ismael in 1995 had a remarkably high death toll for being only a Cat 1. It was a small storm that developed quickly before making landfall over Los Mochis. Hundreds of fishermen were caught at sea in the Sea of Cortez and 200+ were killed or missing as a result of the storm. The name was retired and initially replaced with Israel but that was quickly changed to Ivo for political reasons despite the fact that Israel is a fairly common male name in Mexico.

Steve

Something similar happened in southern Vietnam in 1997. The storm was a Category 1 typhoon named, ironically, Linda. Linda peaked at only 65KT. However, her path had her striking the extreme southern portion of Vietnam and crossing into the Gulf of Thailand. She eventually struck Thailand and crossed into the Indian Ocean. She briefly strengthened but eventually weakened and disappated.

Although typhoons occasionally strike the Gulf of Thailand area, they are uncommon. Linda caught thousands of fishermen at sea off guard. Linda was one of Vietnam's costliest typhoons, causing $472 million in damage. (Xangsane would later exceed this with $628 million in 2006.)

Deaths were reported in Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. But the worst toll was from fishermen out at sea. Typhoon Linda left a total of 4,502 dead/missing.