June 2, 2008
BELIZE DIARY: Alma, Arthur Join Forces to Soak Belize, Yucatan
By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net
Belize City, Belize (HNN) -- East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet, the saying goes. Don't believe it: The remnants of Tropical Storm Alma, coming from the West (the Pacific Ocean) joined forces with Tropical Storm Arthur, coming from the East (the Atlantic Ocean) to give Belize and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula a heavy drenching on Sunday, June 1, 2008.
Even though Arthur, the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday and was expected to dissipate over Mexico, it still produced heavy rain all afternoon Sunday in Belize City, the largest city and commercial capital of the Central American nation.
The Belize National Meteorological Service (BNMS) posted this statement on its web site (http://www.hydromet.gov.bz) Sunday: "Significant Weather. Moist and unstable conditions will persist as Tropical Depression Arthur exits the area."
Arthur formed from the remains of Tropical Storm Alma, which took shape in the Pacific, making a landfall Thursday, May 29 in Costa Rica and flooding Managua, Nicaragua on its way to the Caribbean. The storm regained strength before its center crossed onto land again in Belize.
After lashing the Yucatan Peninsula, Arthur has weakened as it neared southeast Mexico. Arthur has been downgraded to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds of around 35 miles per hour. The change has made the governments of Belize and Mexico discontinue all warnings related to the first tropical storm of the 2008 season, which started Sunday.
Arthur is expected to move west across the coastline of the Bay of Campeche over the next two days, said the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.
Tropical Storm Arthur formed Saturday, May 31 near the coast of Belize, heading for the mainland. The upcoming hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin will be above normal this year, and residents in areas usually affected by them should be prepared, the hurricane center said.
The storm was centered over land 175 kilometers (109 miles) south of Campeche, Mexico, with winds of 55 kilometers (35 miles) an hour, Mexico's National Civil Protection System said in a statement at 10:30 a.m. local time. The center was moving west- southwest at 13 kilometers an hour.
An average of 5 to 10 inches of rain is expected to fall across the mountainous terrain of Belize, Guatemala and southern Mexico, causing flash flooding and mudslides. The storm is moving west-southwest at 8 mph guided by a strong ridge of high pressure over the south-central United States. Arthur will likely weaken this afternoon as it continues to move across the Yucatan Peninsula and could be downgraded further to a tropical rainstorm Sunday evening, according to weather sources.
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BELIZE DIARY: Alma, Arthur Join Forces to Soak Belize, Yucatan
By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net
Belize City, Belize (HNN) -- East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet, the saying goes. Don't believe it: The remnants of Tropical Storm Alma, coming from the West (the Pacific Ocean) joined forces with Tropical Storm Arthur, coming from the East (the Atlantic Ocean) to give Belize and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula a heavy drenching on Sunday, June 1, 2008.
Even though Arthur, the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday and was expected to dissipate over Mexico, it still produced heavy rain all afternoon Sunday in Belize City, the largest city and commercial capital of the Central American nation.
The Belize National Meteorological Service (BNMS) posted this statement on its web site (http://www.hydromet.gov.bz) Sunday: "Significant Weather. Moist and unstable conditions will persist as Tropical Depression Arthur exits the area."
Arthur formed from the remains of Tropical Storm Alma, which took shape in the Pacific, making a landfall Thursday, May 29 in Costa Rica and flooding Managua, Nicaragua on its way to the Caribbean. The storm regained strength before its center crossed onto land again in Belize.
After lashing the Yucatan Peninsula, Arthur has weakened as it neared southeast Mexico. Arthur has been downgraded to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds of around 35 miles per hour. The change has made the governments of Belize and Mexico discontinue all warnings related to the first tropical storm of the 2008 season, which started Sunday.
Arthur is expected to move west across the coastline of the Bay of Campeche over the next two days, said the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.
Tropical Storm Arthur formed Saturday, May 31 near the coast of Belize, heading for the mainland. The upcoming hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin will be above normal this year, and residents in areas usually affected by them should be prepared, the hurricane center said.
The storm was centered over land 175 kilometers (109 miles) south of Campeche, Mexico, with winds of 55 kilometers (35 miles) an hour, Mexico's National Civil Protection System said in a statement at 10:30 a.m. local time. The center was moving west- southwest at 13 kilometers an hour.
An average of 5 to 10 inches of rain is expected to fall across the mountainous terrain of Belize, Guatemala and southern Mexico, causing flash flooding and mudslides. The storm is moving west-southwest at 8 mph guided by a strong ridge of high pressure over the south-central United States. Arthur will likely weaken this afternoon as it continues to move across the Yucatan Peninsula and could be downgraded further to a tropical rainstorm Sunday evening, according to weather sources.
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