Hurricane Lidia (1993)

Hurricane Lidia

Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Lidia near peak intensity south of Mexico on September 11
Formed	September 8, 1993
Dissipated	September 14, 1993
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 150 mph (240 km/h)
Lowest pressure	930 mbar (hPa); 27.46 inHg
Fatalities	6 direct, 1 indirect
Damage	$8 million (1993 USD)
Areas affected	Mexico, United States
Part of the 1993 Pacific hurricane season

Hurricane Lidia was the strongest tropical cyclone of the 1993 Pacific hurricane season. Forming from a tropical wave on September 8, Lidia steadily organized and became a hurricane on September 10. The hurricane continued to strengthen while developing a well-defined eye, and peaked as a Category 4 hurricane on September 11. However, it weakened considerably before making landfall in Sinaloa as a Category 2 storm. Lidia dissipated near Austin on September 14 and was later absorbed by a cold front. Across Mexico, the hurricane killed seven people; over 100,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes. A total of 160 homes were destroyed and 10,000 people were left homeless because of the storm. In the United States, five people suffered injuries and storm damage totaled $8 million (1993 USD).

A westward-moving tropical wave left the coast of Africa on August 24. Initially, shower activity was minimal, but it increased somewhat as it approached the southern Lesser Antilles. Disorganized, the wave moved through the Southwestern Caribbean Sea on September 3 and 4. The system quickly emerged into the Pacific Ocean, to the south of Central America. After September 7, shower activity began to increase and the cloud pattern became more organized. At this time, the disturbance was located about 200 mi (320 km) south of Salina Cruz. After becoming much better organized, it developed well-defined banding features and a well-defined atmospheric circulation. Based on this, the disturbance was upgraded into a tropical depression later that day. It continued to organize, and a nearby ship later reported near gale-force winds far from its center. Based on this, the depression was upgraded into Tropical Storm Lidia overnight.