Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | June 20, 1996 |
Dissipated | June 27, 1996 |
Category 2 hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 105 mph (165 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 969 mbar (hPa); 28.61 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 20 total |
Damage | Unknown |
Areas affected | Southwestern Mexico |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1996 Pacific hurricane season |
Hurricane Alma was the first of three consecutive tropical cyclones to make landfall on the Pacific Coast of Mexico within a ten-day timespan in late June and early July 1996.[1] Alma was the third tropical depression, second tropical storm and first hurricane of the 1996 Pacific hurricane season. The storm originated from an Atlantic tropical wave that crossed Central America in mid-June 1996. In warmer than average waters of the open Pacific, the system gradually organized and was designated a tropical depression on June 20 before quickly intensifying to a tropical storm, receiving the name Alma. Early on June 22 Alma was upgraded to a hurricane and subsequently reached peak intensity of 969 mb, a Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Alma made landfall on Mexico's southwest coast shortly thereafter, but it soon moved back out over water and began to weaken. Alma had severe impact in Mexico. Twenty deaths were reported. Total damage across the country is unknown.