Deadly Manuel to Impact Mainland Mexico

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

September 18,2013; 9:01PM,EDT

 

 

As Acapulco cleans up after severe and deadly flooding, Hurricane Manuel is expected to impact the Mexican state Sinaloa.
Manuel regained tropical depression status over the warm waters off the western Mexican coast Tuesday afternoon, 36 hours after weakening to a tropical rainstorm over southwestern Mexico.
Upgrading from a tropical storm to a hurricane on Wednesday evening, Hurricane Manuel will maintain its strength as it churns in the very warm waters of the Gulf of California before turning and heading towards mainland Mexico.
As was the case before it first weakened, flooding rain and mudslides are the greatest danger Manuel poses to lives and properties along and near its future path.

Rainfall will total 5 to 10 inches over the Mexican states of Sinaloa and far southern parts of Sonora. Mazatlan has already recorded more than 6 inches of rain in 48 hours, ending Wednesday morning.
In Southern Baja California Sur rainfall will be minimal totaling one to two inches.
RELATED:
AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center
Latest Statistics of Manuel
History of Ingrid
Also accompanying Manuel across mainland Mexico will be wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph, strong enough to cause tree damage, power outages and some minor damage to structures.
Gusts along the coast could reach up to 80mph.

The strongest winds will target the coast near Sinaloa.
Rough surf will create hazards for swimmers and small craft in the southern Gulf of California through Saturday.
Throughout the weekend, the interaction with coastal Mexico will cause Manuel to weaken.
The departure of Manuel from Mexico cannot come soon enough for residents. The combination of flooding from both Manuel and once-Hurricane Ingrid has been blamed for the deaths of at least 55 people, according to Reuters.
People stand at the corner of a flooded street caused by heavy rains brought by Tropical Storm Manuel in Acapulco, Mexico, Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Bernandino Hernandez)
Thirty-four of those deaths occurred in Acapulco's home state of Guerrero. In Acapulco, mud completely blocked the entrance to a main hillside tunnel that leads into the city as waist-deep flood waters at the city's international airport prevented roughly 40,000 visitors from leaving.
During the inundation of heavy rain, 7.43 inches of rain alone fell on Acapulco in 24 hours (ending Sunday morning).
Farther east, torrential rain from Ingrid led to landslides that buried homes and a bus in the eastern state of Veracruz.
A couple of showers and thunderstorms will continue to stream across Acapulco and Mexico's southern coast through this weekend--potentially hindering cleanup efforts.
During that time, another Atlantic tropical system may attempt to organize in the western Gulf of Mexico and return drenching rain to the neighboring Mexican coast.