Tropical Storm Agatha (2010)
| Tropical storm (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Tropical Storm Agatha approaching Guatemala on May 29
|
|
| Formed | May 29, 2010 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | June 1, 2010 |
| (Remnant low after May 31) | |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 45 mph (75 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 1001 mbar (hPa); 29.56 inHg |
| Fatalities | 204 total |
| Damage | $1.1 billion (2010 USD) |
| Areas affected | Southwestern Mexico and Central America; especially Guatemala |
| Part of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season | |
Tropical Storm Agatha was a weak but catastrophic tropical cyclone that brought widespread floods to much of Central America, and was the deadliest tropical cyclone in the eastern Pacific since Hurricane Pauline in 1997. The first storm of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season, Agatha originated from the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a region of thunderstorms across the tropics. It developed into a tropical depression on May 29 and tropical storm later, it was dissipated on May 30, reaching top winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and a lowest pressure of 1000 mbar (hPa; 29.53 inHg). It made landfall near the Guatemala–Mexico border on the evening of May 29. Agatha produced torrential rain all across Central America, which resulted in the death of one person in Nicaragua. In Guatemala, 152 people were killed and 100 left missing by landslides. Thirteen deaths also occurred in El Salvador. Agatha soon dissipated over Guatemala. As of June 15, officials in Guatemala have stated that 165 people were killed and 113 others are missing.
In all, Agatha caused at least 204 fatalities, and roughly $1.1 billion in damage throughout Central America. Despite it caused over $1 billion in damages, the name Agatha was not retired, and therefore was used again in the 2016 season.
Tropical Storm Agatha originated from an area of convection, or thunderstorms, that developed on May 24, off the west coast on Costa Ricaam. At the time, there was a trough in the region that extended into the southwestern Caribbean Sea, associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The system drifted northwestward, and conditions favored further development. On May 25, the convection became more concentrated, and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted the potential for a tropical depression to develop. The next day, it briefly became disorganized, as its circulation was broad and elongated; however, the disturbance was in a very moist environment, and multiple low level centers gradually organized into one. The low continued to get better organized; however, there was a lack of a well-defined circulation. On May 29, after further organization of the circulation and convection, the NHC initiated advisories on Tropical Depression One-E while the system was located about 295 miles (475 km) west of San Salvador, El Salvador.
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