&sq=&lang=&file=File:Lester_1992-08-22_1800Z.png) Hurricane Lester nearing landfall on the Baja California Peninsula at peak intensity on August 22 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 20, 1992 |
| Extratropical | August 24 |
| Dissipated | August 29, 1992 |
| Category 1 hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 80 mph (130 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 985 mbar (hPa); 29.09 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 3 direct |
| Damage | $3 million (1992 USD) |
| Areas affected | Baja California Peninsula (Baja California, Baja California Sur), northwestern Mexico, Southwestern United States, Central United States, Midwestern United States, Mid-Atlantic states |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1992 Pacific hurricane season | |
Hurricane Lester was the first Pacific tropical cyclone to enter the United States as a tropical storm since 1967. The fourteenth named storm and eighth hurricane of the 1992 Pacific hurricane season, Lester formed on August 20 from a tropical wave southwest of Mexico. The tropical storm moved generally northwestward while steadily intensifying. After turning to the north, approaching the Mexican coast, Lester attained hurricane status. The hurricane reached peak winds of 85 mph (137 km/h) before making landfall on west-central Baja California. The system weakened while moving across the peninsula and then over northwestern Mexico. Not long after entering Arizona, Lester weakened to a tropical depression, and degenerated into an extratropical low on August 24, 1992, over New Mexico. The storm's remnants later merged with the remnants of Hurricane Andrew and another frontal system on August 29.
In Mexico, the hurricane resulted in $3 million in damage (1992 USD, $4.7 million 2011 USD). It also left 5,000 people homeless, and was responsible for three fatalities. The remnants of Lester also produced moderate rainfall and minor flooding across southern California, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, as well as rare August snow in the Rocky Mountains.