Hurricane Norbert Recap: Storm Brushes Baja California, Contributes to Flash Flood in Southwest U.S.

Hurricane Norbert Recap: Storm Brushes Baja California, Contributes to Flash Flood in Southwest U.S.
Hurricane Norbert, rather than taking the out-to-sea route as most other eastern Pacific tropical cyclones, produced some significant impacts while never making landfall.
Hurricane Norbert

Visible satellite image of Hurricane Norbert on Sep. 6, 2014. (NASA)

Norbert was born as a tropical storm the morning of Sept. 2 southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, strengthening to a hurricane after jogging westward almost 36 hours later.

After passing about 150 miles west of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Hurricane Norbert rapidly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale by early Sept. 6, making it the season’s seventh major hurricane (classified as a Category 3 or higher hurricane) within the 2014 Eastern Pacific Hurricane season.

Norbert did bring wind and rain to parts of the Baja California Peninsula, where squally weather prompted evacuations. Though staying away from land, it was near enough to the coast to drench fishing villages and resorts, and pound beaches with large waves.

(MORE: Hurricane Norbert Damages Hundreds of Homes in Baja California)

Almost as quickly as it strengthened, Norbert quickly weakened as it moved into a more stable atmosphere and over colder water, causing thunderstorms to mostly fall apart near its center. By the next morning, Norbert had been downgraded to a tropical storm, and just 24 hours later, a post-tropical remnant low.

(MORE: Expert Analysis | Hurricane Central)
Desert Southwest Flooding

Norbert’s contribution to the elevated Desert Southwest flash flood threat.

Norbert’s moisture, in tandem with remnant moisture from ex-Tropical Storm Dolly and the residual moisture already in place from the North American Monsoon, combined to enhance rainfall in the Desert Southwest, well after Norbert reached its peak intensity.

Norbert brought flash flooding to several locations across southern California, southern Nevada, and Arizona on Sept. 7.

(MORE: Floods Drown Cars in California’s Inland Empire)

Then, a cluster of thunderstorms with heavy rain parked over the Phoenix metro the following morning, wringing out the wettest calendar day on record, there.

(MORE: Phoenix Record Rain, Freeways Swamped)

Atmospheric moisture reached record levels for mid-September in Tucson and parts of the Colorado River Valley pm Monday.
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