Tropical Storm Alex (2010)
Encyclopedia
Hurricane Alex was a rare June hurricane and the first tropical cyclone
to form in the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season
. Originating from an area of disturbed weather on June 25, 2010, it slowly developed in the Caribbean Sea
and struck Belize
as a tropical storm. After entering the Gulf of Mexico
, Alex became very large and encountered conditions favorable for slow development. Early on June 30, the cyclone attained hurricane status as it approached northeastern Mexico, the first June hurricane in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Allison
in 1995; the storm rapidly intensified
just off the coast of Tamaulipas
, and struck near Soto la Marina as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
.
Alex caused the deaths of at least 51 people along its path, and resulted over $1.8 billion (2010 USD) of damage. In the central Caribbean Sea, the system produced rainfall across the Greater Antilles
, causing one death in the Dominican Republic
; one more person is reported missing in the island. Fourteen people were killed in Central America
as a result of flooding during Alex's first landfall. In Mexico, the storm's outer rainband
s killed three people in Acapulco
, one person in Oaxaca
, and another in Chiapas
. At its final landfall, Alex caused at least fifteen deaths in Nuevo León
, eight in Coahuila
, six in Guanajuato
, and one in both Tamaulipas
and San Luis Potosí
; an additional twenty persons were reported missing.
Alex triggered widespread power outages throughout northeastern Mexico and southern Texas
. Damage was most evident in the Monterrey metropolitan area
, which faced what Nuevo León governor Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz
described as "the worst weather phenomenon in its history." Following Alex's ultimate landfall, a state of emergency was declared for most of Nuevo León, and parts of Tamaulipas, Oaxaca
, and Texas. Widespread flooding from the storm affected 500,000 people throughout northeast Mexico, and ruined over 200000 hectares (494,210.3 acre) of crops in the region, equivalent to 11% of the region's total farmland.
(ITCZ) on June 17, 2010. Over the next few days, most of its associated thunderstorm activity was embedded within the ITCZ. The National Hurricane Center
(NHC) first mentioned it as a candidate for tropical cyclone formation
on June 20, while it was crossing the Windward Islands
into the southeastern Caribbean Sea
; at the time, some upper-level wind shear
was present, leading to conditions only marginally favorable for development. The system moved through the Caribbean, and on June 21, it developed to the extent that the NHC assessed a 50% chance of development into a tropical depression within 48 hours. The next day, however, the feature deteriorated as thunderstorm activity spread across the Greater Antilles
, although the upper-level regime remained favorable for eventual redevelopment.
On June 24, a low-level circulation had gradually become better established to the south of Jamaica, although it was displaced from its poorly organized convection. By 1800 UTC
, a surface low-pressure area had formed about 105 miles (165 km) to the northeast of Cabo Gracias a Dios
, Nicaragua
, but due to a lack of persistent thunderstorm activity, it was not yet considered a tropical cyclone. Later that day, convection increased over the center of circulation, and atmospheric pressure
s dropped across the region. Late on June 25, Hurricane Hunters
verified the development of a surface low pressure area, which, combined with the increase of thunderstorm activity, indicated the system was a tropical depression. Accordingly, the cyclone was classified as Tropical Depression One at 2200 UTC, while located about 345 miles (555 km) to the east-southeast of Chetumal, Quintana Roo. After the end of the hurricane season
, the National Hurricane Center
revised their analysis and estimated that the system had actually become a tropical depression at around 1800 UTC. At the time of its formation, the depression was moving to the west-northwest, steered by a high pressure system
over the northern Gulf of Mexico
. An anticyclone
positioned over the storm created an environment of minimal wind shear, and the depression quickly intensified. At 0900 UTC on June 26, it obtained tropical storm status and was given the name Alex.
As Tropical Storm Alex progressed through the western Caribbean Sea towards the Yucatán Peninsula
, it developed a large field of clouds accompanied by well-established outflow
throughout its circulation. Its inner structure was initially disorganized, although by late on June 26, it became better defined. At about 2100 UTC, as the tropical storm approached the Belize
coast, a Hurricane Hunters flight reported winds of 65 mph (100 km/h); early on June 27, Alex made landfall
just north of Belize City
at this intensity. Upon moving ashore, an area of convection increased over the center, and the convection initially became better defined as it crossed the Yucatán Peninsula. While most tropical cyclones weaken and become disorganized after landfall, Alex seemed to become stronger when viewed on radar and satellite imagery—the National Hurricane Center noted in one of its forecast discussions that the cyclone's structure more closely resembled a hurricane than a deteriorating storm. Still, after enough time over land, convective activity markedly decreased, and Alex weakened to tropical depression status as it approached the peninsula's western coastline. Late on June 27, the depression emerged into the Gulf of Mexico with a large overall convective structure but little thunderstorm activity near the center due to the interaction with land.
When Alex was still located over the Yucatán Peninsula, the NHC remarked upon the potential for significant strengthening. Because of low wind shear
and very warm water temperatures
in the Gulf of Mexico, the possibility existed that Alex could intensify into a major hurricane
—a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale—before its next landfall. Early on June 28, thunderstorm activity had reformed over the center, and the depression re-intensified into a tropical storm. For the next day, the combination of dry air, increasing wind shear and slightly cooler water temperatures prevented significant convection from developing over the center. At the same time, Alex was moving slowly off the northwest coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, and the environment's conditions became more favorable for intensification as the tropical storm tracked away from the coast. The circulation envelope of Alex remained very large, and by June 29, the storm's rainbands covered the entire western half of the Gulf of Mexico; rainfall was reported along the Texas and Louisiana coasts, even while the center was still several hundred miles offshore. The tropical storm continued to strengthen, and based on reports from Hurricane Hunters, it is estimated that Alex attained hurricane status at 0300 UTC on June 30, about 255 miles (415 km) southeast of Brownsville, Texas
.
Upon becoming a hurricane, Alex was located in a moist, low shear environment, which led to steady intensification on June 30. The pressure continued to fall—a sign of an intensifying cyclone—with a more rapid drop occurring that afternoon and evening. The hurricane strengthened into a Category 2 storm late on June 30 as it approached the northeastern Mexican coast. At 0200 UTC on July 1, Alex made landfall at peak strength, with maximum sustained wind
s of 105 mph (165 km/h), gusts of 125 mph (205 km/h) and an unusually low central pressure of 947 millibars (28 inHg) in the municipality of Soto la Marina
in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas
. After the storm, the National Hurricane Center revised the landfall intensity estimate, showing Alex was even stronger when it struck the Mexican coast, with sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) and a central pressure of 946 millibars (27.9 inHg). Several hours after moving ashore, the storm weakened to Category 1 status, and its structure began to deteriorate. However, deep convection persisted around the center. By 1200 UTC, Alex had weakened into a tropical storm; by 0000 UTC July 2, the Sierra Madre Oriental
disrupted Alex's core, causing the storm to weaken into a tropical depression and dissipate over San Luis Potosí
. However, the interaction with the mountain range caused orographic lift
on the eastern side of the storm after the center of circulation had ceased to exist, producing torrential rainfall throughout northern and central Mexico. Following the dissipation of Alex, divergence
at the 200 mb atmospheric pressure level (approximately at 10 km (6.2 mi) of altitude), a ridge of high pressure
located over southern Texas
, and Alex's residual moisture interacted to produce intense convection over Nuevo León
, Tamaulipas and Coahuila
for the next 72 hours.
was issued for the entire east coast of Quintana Roo
on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula
. Shortly thereafter, the tropical storm warning was extended to include the east coast of Belize
. Late on June 25, the Government of Honduras issued a tropical storm warning for the islands of Roatan
, Guanaja
and Utila
. A tropical storm watch was also issued from Limón to the border with Guatemala
.
. The Mexican government also issued a hurricane warning from the Rio Grande south to La Cruz. A tropical storm warning was posted for coastal Texas from Baffin Bay northward to Port O'Connor
. Governor of Texas Rick Perry
declared a state of disaster in 19 counties and ordered the deployment of Texas Military Forces
personnel (including 80 citizen-soldiers of the Texas State Guard Medical Brigade) to the Rio Grande Valley; President Barack Obama
also declared a state of emergency, freeing federal funds for 25 counties in Texas.
On June 29, authorities began evacuations of residents of coastal areas in the Tamaulipas
municipalities of Soto la Marina
, Matamoros
and San Fernando
municipalities. On June 30, the state's civil defense agency and education secretary announced that schools would be closed throughout the state during the storm. Thirteen shelters were opened in Reynosa, twenty-two in Matamoros, and ten in San Fernando; a total of 3,000 people sought protection from the storm in the three municipalities. Throughout the state, 20,000 people were asked to evacuate to safer areas. Nuevo León
schools were also ordered to be closed for at least 24 hours; the Universidad Regiomontana
, Universidad de Monterrey
and Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León
followed suit. In Monterrey
, mandatory evacuations alongside the Santa Catarina River were ordered, as well as the evacuation of 5,000 families in the highlands of the city. Throughout the state, a total of 90 shelters were opened. Coahuila
did not close its schools, expecting Alex to reach the state as a tropical depression or weaker, but asked its schools to not take attendance.
Prior to Alex making landfall, the Brownsville, Texas
National Weather Service
issued a flood watch
for the southernmost region of the state. The storm was expected to produce heavy rainfall for up to 18 hours, which had the potential to cause significant flooding in poor drainage areas, especially those flooded by Hurricane Dolly
in 2008. Officials opened hurricane shelters, and voluntary evacuations were put into place for South Padre Island
; at least 1,000 people sought shelter in Cameron
and Hidalgo
Counties.
in the central Caribbean Sea. In the Dominican Republic
, the rainfall triggered flooding that prompted the evacuations of over 3,000 people, mostly due to swollen rivers. In the capital city of Santo Domingo
, 160 houses were flooded, and one person was killed by the storm; one additional person was reported missing. In nearby San Juan de la Maguana
, more than 500 homes were innundated. In neighboring Haiti
, minor flooding was reported in Gonaïves
. The Jamaica
Meteorological Service issued a flash flood warning for its entire island in response to the tropical wave producing thunderstorms across the nation.
Fourteen people were killed in Central America
as a result of flooding related to Alex: six in Nicaragua
, six in El Salvador
, and two in Guatemala
. In El Salvador, the national chapter of the Red Cross evacuated over 150 families from La Paz
and Sonsonate departments. The El Salvador government reported nine injuries, and 5,000 people in the country evacuated their residences; the majority of the evacuees was temporarily relocated to 55 shelters. Alex inflicted damage to 349 homes, 31 schools and 10 bridges, and 27 highways were compromised or blocked. In Guatemala, 350 homes and eight highways were damaged, affecting 9,000 people; 2,000 sought shelter in the country. A landslide was reported in a village in Santa Lucía Utatlán
, along with flooding in Flores
. Corn, bean, and potato crops were damaged in Suchitepéquez, San Marcos and Jutiapa departments. The National Emergency Management Organization of Belize reported that property damage in the country was minimal.
evacuated 66 personnel from oil rigs offshore of Tamaulipas and Veracruz
, Petrobras
evacuated its oil rig in the Gulf, while Royal Dutch Shell
evacuated 930 personnel from its rigs in the area. In total, six rigs and 69 production platforms faced evacuations, causing 21% of U.S. Gulf oil output and 14% of U.S. Gulf natural-gas flows to remain offline.
The storm was expected to impact operations regarding the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
, with both containment and cleanup operations being affected by repercussions from the storm (such as wave action and wind direction). Although Alex stayed relatively away from the site, the storm caused BP
to delay plans to increase oil capture from the leak by a week. Tarball
s from the spill as large as apples washed onshore around Grand Isle
, as well as other parts of Louisiana
, Alabama
and Florida
, from high storm tide
s created by the hurricane.
, one person from Guatemala died and four others were injured when their bus rolled over as it traveled over a damaged highway. The state's civil defense system reported that 984 families from 17 municipalities were evacuated to shelters, and that Alex's torrential rainfall also produced 23 landslides in six counties of the state. On June 30, a mudslide knocked down a tree onto a 115-kV transmission line
near El Vergel, causing 82 cities and towns in the municipalities of Villaflores
and Villa Corzo
to lose power; 32,000 residents were left without electricity from this outage alone. Power was restored the same evening. In Yucatán
, a boat carrying seven passengers capsized; all were eventually rescued. In Campeche
, 937 dwellings suffered minor damage as a result of the storm.
Prior to its second landfall, Alex caused one death in the state of Oaxaca
when a wall collapsed on a dwelling in San Juan Chapultepec, killing the woman who was sleeping inside. Near San Francisco Ixhuatán, the Ostuta river breached its banks, flooding 1,000 homes. Farther upstream, in Reforma de Pineda, over 100 families were affected by the river's rise, which flooded their homes with 1 m (3.3 ft) of water. Overall, 3,500 families were affected by the storm in the state.
The outer rainbands of Alex caused three deaths in Acapulco
, Guerrero
, after a retaining wall collapsed over the occupants of an improvised shack in a vacant lot. The investigation that followed found that the wall had been built without structural enforcements, and that the torrential rainfall had weakened the wall's foundation.
, a total of 588 mm (23.1 in) of precipitation was recorded between June 29 and on July 1. Other rainfall stations in Monterrey recorded between 359.75 mm (14.2 in) and 619 mm (24.4 in) of rain, while Santa Catarina recorded 591.75 mm (23.3 in) of precipitation. The Comisión Nacional del Agua (CNA) noted that the storm rainfall totals greatly exceed the totals produced by Hurricane Gilbert
in 1988, which only produced 280 mm (11 in) of rain in the city.
The historic rainfall caused several dams to fill throughout northeast Mexico. In Nuevo León, due to the heavy rainfall, CNA also began water discharges of 713 m3/s from the La Boca Dam in Santiago
, 1648 m3/s from Cerro Prieto in Linares
, and 3080 m3/s from Cuchillo Dam in China
; the dams were at 98%, 114%, and 124% of operating maximum capacity, respectively. Cuchillo Dam saw water inflows of 4118 m3/s. The water releases from these dams raised a state of alert in Tamaulipas, which was slated to receive the discharged water. In Coahuila, the rainfall caused La Fragua Dam to release 1000 m3/s of water into the Rio Grande
, and Amistad Dam
to reach 119% of normal operating capacity. In the case of the latter dam, the excess storage in Amistad Lake sparked fears of flooding in downstream municipalities, although the possibility of overtopping of the dam was discarded by the Mexican section of the International Boundary and Water Commission
. However, contingency plans were put in place to prepare for the crest of the Sabinas River, a tributary of the Rio Grande, and the subsequent crest on the Rio Grande itself, which was expected to carry at least 4000 m3/s due to additional inflows from other tributaries. At one point, the Rio Grande was clocked at 5530 m3/s due to its many flooded tributaries. The river's rise forced the evacuation of 40 families in Piedras Negras
, and required the closure of the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge
and Colombia–Solidarity International Bridge between Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas and Laredo, Texas
on July 8. The bridges were expected to be closed until at least July 10. The rise of the Escondido River forced the evacuation of 1,000 families in Villa de Fuente, as the river rose to carry 650 m3/s through the town.
The rainfall also caused Venustiano Carranza Dam in Coahuila to fill completely; the large water pressure in the dam forced the dam's gates shut, and cranes were employed to open them. The rest of the gates were unable to be opened due to lack of electrical power, sparking fears of a potential dam overtopping or rupture. The municipality of Anáhuac
in Nuevo León was evacuated after reports early on July 6 that the dam had overtopped; Anáhuac's municipal president
stated that the flood could cause the "total destruction" of the city. On July 7, as water releases from the dam were increased to 3300 m3/s, the town was reported to be 3 m (9.8 ft) underwater, with more discharge expected. Personnel from the Mexican Army
and the city's prison population were evacuated from Anáhuac that same day. In San Luis Potosí
, the rainfall from Alex was beneficial, as it caused increases in dam water levels of up to 20% in very dry areas.
, a 25-year-old man was rescued from a storm drain. 60,000 people in San Fernando lost power, as did all of Ciudad Victoria, the capital of the state. Throughout the state, 256,000 people were left without electricity. Heavy winds and rainfall knocked down billboards and trees in the capital, but no injuries were reported in the city. The storm dropped 10 inch of rainfall in Matamoros
, flooding 120 colonia
s, and leaving six of the 120 underwater. About 400 neighborhoods of Matamoros, comprising 80% of the city, were flooded. Some areas of the city were under 1 ft (0.3048 m) of water, forcing 4,000 people to shelters. In Reynosa, 80 colonias were flooded, and 15 trees were uprooted; in Río Bravo
, seven neighborhoods were flooded. In Nuevo Laredo, three young persons were rescued from a flooded arroyo. The Conchos River also breached its banks, flooding communities in San Fernando
and Méndez
. The overflow of the Rio Grande
following water discharges from Nuevo León isolated two communities in Miguel Alemán
. One death was reported in the state on July 7 when a man died while trying to cross a flooded river.
Throughout the state, the storm and resultant floods damaged at least 6,000 homes, 202 schools, and 500 businesses. Additionally, 28 roadways and bridges were damaged, and left over 193,000 power consumers lost electric service. Property damage was placed at $1.084 billion (2010 MXN; 83.8 million USD) in the 19 municipalities of the state that were declared federal disaster areas.
, fifteen people were confirmed to have died: one bricklayer who died after a housing unit under construction collapsed on top of him; two men and a woman who died after their vehicle rolled over and crashed into a semi-trailer truck
due to the intense rainfall; a 25-year-old who was swept away by swift currents and pinned against a fence; an elderly man who died after a wall toppled over him, a woman who died after a large boulder from a rock slide fell on her home, and a young man who fell onto the Arroyo
Topo Chico. Eight more bodies were found after floodwaters began receding, although one is believed to have been washed away from a cemetery. Twenty people in Nuevo León were reported missing.
According to the Comisión Federal de Electricidad
, 4,000 customers lost electric power in the Monterrey metropolitan area, as did 61,000 people statewide. 18 wells lost power, leaving 110,000 without water service in the municipalities of Santa Catarina
and García
. Heavy flooding occurred along the Santa Catarina River in Monterrey, normally a dry river bed that flows into the Rio Grande
, causing it to reach a record flow of 2500 m3/s. The flooded stream washed away multiple parked vehicles, a popular flea market
, and sport facilities built within a riverside greenway
. The Santa Catarina River also destroyed about 45 kilometres (28 mi) of Monterrey's main arterial streets. Multiple washout
s caused the closure of the divided highway between Monterrey and Saltillo, Coahuila. In San Nicolás de los Garza
, the Arroyo Topo Chico exceeded its banks, forcing multiple street closures. An explosion and fire occurred on a bridge in the Guadalupe
municipality when a transformer
fell on an old gas pipe. No injuries were reported due to the fire. In Linares
, the rainfall from Alex's remnants caused a wing of the municipal townhouse, which was built in 1896, to collapse. The building was listed as a protected historic building. A bridge on the Pilón River collapsed in Montemorelos, rupturing a 24-inch oil pipeline in the process. However, the valves on both ends of the pipeline section were closed, minimizing the leak over the river, and the leak was not expected to adversely impact drinking water supplies in El Cuchillo Dam. Hurricane Alex affected the infrastructure of 1,077 schools in the state, 60 of which were severely damaged and 552 held intermediate damage. Nation-wide disruption in Internet connection and cell phone services was caused by damage to optical fibers, backbone nodes
and telephonic central stations in Monterrey. Additionally, Telefónica
reported damage to its network in Monterrey and Saltillo, causing intermittent unavailability of telecommunication services. Preliminary estimates of the damage in the state rose to $10 billion (2010 MXN; $762 million USD); final damage estimates released on August 5 totaled $16.9 billion (2010 MXN; 1.35 billion USD) statewide.
, rainfall from Alex's remnants caused a small dam in an ejido
in Castaños
to overtop, forcing the evacuation of 50 people in the municipality's seat. The ensuing flood rose 1 m (3.3 ft) and damaged 15 homes. The coal-producing region of the state was left isolated after the Álamos River broke its banks. Hundreds of residents in Nueva Rosita
and Sabinas
were evacuated; in the latter case, the Sabinas River flooded to become 300 m (984.3 ft) in width, causing 400–500 homes to go underwater. Some bridges on Mexican Federal Highway 57
were covered in water. Thousands of citizens in Ciudad Acuña
were evacuated when the Arroyo Las Vacas flooded after 40 in (1,016 mm) of rain fell on nearby mountain ranges. The flood damaged 1,000 homes, damaging urban infrastructure, power, water and telecommunication services; 500 people sought refuge in shelters. The loss of power caused 40 maquiladora
s to suspend their activities, stopping 16,000 workers. The rainfall caused damage in 15 municipalities of Coahuila, affecting 10,000 people, and causing at least $1 billion (2010 MXN; $76 million USD) in damage in the state.
on the northern side of the hurricane began producing tropical-storm-force winds throughout Cameron
, Willacy and Kenedy Counties starting on June 30. The highest reported sustained wind was of 51 mph (82.1 km/h) at the southeast tip of Port Isabel
. The strongest gust occurred over the Queen Isabella Causeway
, where a wind speed of 66 mph (106.2 km/h) was measured. Sustained winds of 39 mph (62.8 km/h) and gusts of 53 mph (85.3 km/h) were measured in Bayview
.
The feeder bands also produced heavy rainfall, leading to flooding on South Padre Island. A storm surge
of 3.5 feet (1.1 m) was reported on the island, causing moderate beach erosion. However, more significant damage was avoided as the bulk of the 4 feet (1.2 m) storm tide
hit South Padre and Port Isabel
at low tide. Nine tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down in the state in association with the storm, one of which overturned a mobile home. Other tornadoes caused mainly minimal damages to trees and shrubbery. About 9,000 customers lost power throughout Texas.
Large amounts of precipitation fell throughout the Lower Rio Grande Valley
, with 6 to 9 in (152.4 to 228.6 mm) of rainfall recorded throughout the region. Brownsville Airport
had 6.8 inches (172.7 mm) of precipitation in a 36–hour period. The 5.86 inches (148.8 mm) of rain that fell alone on June 30 broke the daily rainfall record of 3.8 inches (96.5 mm) from 1995. McAllen, Texas
, measured 6.66 inches (169.2 mm) of rain on June 30, which now constitutes the city's wettest June day on record. In Houston, Texas
, more rain fell on 1 and 2 July than the normal rainfall for the entire month of July. Some parts of the city received nearly 12 inches (304.8 mm) of rain over three days, causing scattered street flooding.
Flooding caused by the rainfall from the remnants of Alex caused the Rio Grande
river at Foster Ranch, in far western Texas to exceed 31 ft (9.4 m), well above the flood stage at 14 ft (4.3 m) and the record stage at 25.9 ft (7.9 m). Combined with the rainfall produced by Tropical Depression Two
, the Rio Grande was under flood conditions for much of the month of July. About $10 million (2010 USD) of agricultural damage was reported in Hidalgo County
from Alex.
The Secretaría de Gobernación
declared a state of emergency
in 21 of Nuevo León's 51 municipalities
, freeing federal disaster funds for use in aid operations. An additional 10 municipalities were placed under the state of emergency on July 8. A similar declaration was made for 8 municipalities in Oaxaca, and for 14 municipalities in Tamaulipas; the state of emergency in Tamaulipas was later expanded to 30 municipalities. Mexican President Felipe Calderón
requested adding resources to the federal disaster fund, as the $3 billion (2010 MXN; $235 million USD) it held would not be sufficient to face the damage in Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. In the months following the storm, a total of $4.8 billion (2010 MXN; $375 million USD) was released by the federal and state governments to aid in the reconstruction of the disaster areas in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. In Texas
, Governor Rick Perry
activated the state's search and rescue capabilities in Laredo
and San Antonio
. This activation was due to the flooding on the Rio Grande Valley, which was expected to worsen due to the approach of Tropical Depression Two
to the area affected by Alex.
Even after its dissipation, Alex continued causing deaths throughout Mexico, particularly due to flooding. One death was reported in Tamaulipas
and another one in San Luis Potosí
; another six were reported to have died in Guanajuato
as a result of Alex. In Coahuila, eight people died after a plane crashed while surveying the water discharges from dams in the state; the Coahuila secretary of public works and the municipal president of Piedras Negras were among the victims.
. State governor Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz
noted that the city of Monterrey had "collapsed due to the worst weather phenomenon in its history." In the municipality of Santa Catarina
alone, 50,000 people were affected, with property damage being estimated at $1.2 billion (2010 MXN; 93.5 million USD). Residents from 3 colonias
in García
had to be permanently relocated as 800 homes were destroyed; the storm caused $900 million (2010 MXN; 70 million USD) in damage in the municipality. The flooding Santa Catarina River destroyed four bridges in Monterrey; at least 60 bridges were damaged statewide. Governor Medina also announced on July 3 the allocation of $1.4 billion (2010 MXN; $107 million USD) for repairs to Monterrey's arterial streets. Municipalities in the metropolitan area used contraflow
during part of the day to re-establish traffic in sections where the arterial streets bordering the Santa Catarina River were damaged only in one direction. The repairs to Monterrey's main roadways were estimated to take up to three months to complete.
Railway traffic throughout the state was paralyzed, as some train bridges collapsed, and extensive damage was found in the track ballast
in multiple rail lines. Kansas City Southern Railway
reported it expected a net loss of five cents per share on its annual earnings due to the stoppage affecting its Mexican subsidiary. The company later reported a drop of $33 million (2010 USD) in revenue due to hurricane damage. The damage to the railway infrastructure caused automotive part shortages throughout North America. General Motors
was forced to cancel shifts at plants in Michigan, Missouri and Kansas. Ford
also idled production in its Oakville, Ontario
assembly plant, and suffered two-week delays in U.S. deliveries of its Fiesta model
due to the rail track damage. The damage to the road system paralyzed a route used by 40% of the trade between the United States and Mexico, as 22,000 trucks were stalled after damage to the Nuevo Laredo–Monterrey highway.
Alex destroyed the potable water infrastructure in portions of Nuevo León, causing widespread shortages of water. The damage to the water infrastructure was described as being of "unexpected magnitude," with 160,000 left without water a week after the storm made landfall. The standing water left following the rainfall caused concern of outbreaks of various diseases, including cholera
. Consequently, the population was warned to boil or otherwise disinfect water to prevent disease. In areas where the storm's impact made it difficult to boil water due to the unavailability of gas or stoves, 70,000 jars with colloidal silver
were distributed. Additionally, laboratory testing of refuse
coming from individuals with gastrointestinary illnesses commenced as a precaution to identify outbreaks of cholera and other diseases, and over 82,000 vaccines were applied throughout the region. Following the storm's passage, PROFECO
announced fines of up to $2.5 million (2010 MXN; $191,000 USD) to merchants guilty of price gouging
when selling bottled water. This occurred after the agency received complaints of 1500% markups when compared to bottled water's pre-storm price. On July 7, the agency announced it had applied sanctions to 20 businesses who were found overcharging for bottled water.
(SAGARPA), 203800 hectares (503,600.3 acre) of farmland were damaged as a result from Alex in northeastern Mexico, corresponding to 11% of the total farmland in Tamaulipas, Nuevo León and Coahuila. Most of the agricultural damage occurred in Tamaulipas, where 110000 ha (271,815.7 acre) of sorghum
and 80000 ha (197,684.1 acre) of maize
were damaged, corresponding to 15.6% of the entirety of the state's farmland, and 76% of the state's maize crop; 700 ha (1,729.7 acre) of grapefruit and limes were also damaged, corresponding to 15% of the state's citrus production. Two thousand heads of cattle were also lost in Nuevo Laredo. In Nuevo León and Coahuila, most of the damage was to animal husbandry
; in Nuevo León, 3,645 heads of cattle, 3,580 goats, 7,265 sheep and 194 horses were lost, while in Coahuila, 3,709 goats, 258 cattle and 56 sheep were killed.
The storm also affected commerce throughout the region. The Mexican Secretariat of Economy calculated that Alex affected 2,500 small and medium enterprises in Nuevo León, 500 in Tamaulipas, and 500–700 in Coahuila. In Monterrey, the local chapter
of the Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce
reported that in the first two days after Hurricane Alex affected the city, businesses in the city lost $750 million (2010 MXN; 58 million USD). Overall, the lost business due to Alex is expected to total about $2 billion (2010 MXN; 156 million USD).
As floodwaters receded from the Pesquería River in Escobedo, Nuevo León, the remnants of a 15,000-year-old mammoth
were discovered by local residents. It is believed that the remains were carried from the state of Coahuila to Escobedo by the floodwaters. The remnants were identified and dated by personnel from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.
in 1995, and the strongest in terms of wind speed since Hurricane Alma
in 1966
. Its barometric pressure recording of 946 mbar (27.96 inches) is the most intense from any Atlantic hurricane in June, although Hurricane Audrey
in 1957
ties this intensity. Alex is thus tied for the most intense June Atlantic hurricane on record overall.
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
to form in the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season
2010 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2010 Atlantic hurricane season was the third most active Atlantic hurricane season on record, tying with the 1887 Atlantic hurricane season, 1995 Atlantic hurricane season and the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. It had the most number of named storms since the 2005 season and also ties with the...
. Originating from an area of disturbed weather on June 25, 2010, it slowly developed in the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
and struck Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
as a tropical storm. After entering the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, Alex became very large and encountered conditions favorable for slow development. Early on June 30, the cyclone attained hurricane status as it approached northeastern Mexico, the first June hurricane in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Allison
Hurricane Allison (1995)
Hurricane Allison was the first named storm and first hurricane of the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season. It was an early season hurricane that delivered heavy rains and caused minor damage, primarily across Cuba, Florida and Georgia....
in 1995; the storm rapidly intensified
Rapid deepening
Rapid deepening, also known as rapid intensification, is a meteorological condition that occurs when the minimum sea-level atmospheric pressure of a tropical cyclone decreases drastically in a short period of time. The National Weather Service describes rapid deepening as a decrease of...
just off the coast of Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
, and struck near Soto la Marina as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale , or the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , classifies hurricanes — Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms — into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds...
.
Alex caused the deaths of at least 51 people along its path, and resulted over $1.8 billion (2010 USD) of damage. In the central Caribbean Sea, the system produced rainfall across the Greater Antilles
Greater Antilles
The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as...
, causing one death in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
; one more person is reported missing in the island. Fourteen people were killed in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
as a result of flooding during Alex's first landfall. In Mexico, the storm's outer rainband
Rainband
A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands can be stratiform or convective, and are generated by differences in temperature. When noted on weather radar imagery, this precipitation elongation is referred to as...
s killed three people in Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, one person in Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, and another in Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
. At its final landfall, Alex caused at least fifteen deaths in Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, eight in Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
, six in Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
, and one in both Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
and San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
; an additional twenty persons were reported missing.
Alex triggered widespread power outages throughout northeastern Mexico and southern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Damage was most evident in the Monterrey metropolitan area
Monterrey Metropolitan area
The Monterrey metropolitan area refers to the surrounding urban agglomeration of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Officially called Area Metropolitana de la Ciudad de Monterrey or AMM, the metropolitan area is the 3rd-largest such area in Mexico....
, which faced what Nuevo León governor Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz
Rodrigo Medina
Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz is a Mexican politician affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Party . He is the current Governor of Nuevo León.-Political career:...
described as "the worst weather phenomenon in its history." Following Alex's ultimate landfall, a state of emergency was declared for most of Nuevo León, and parts of Tamaulipas, Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, and Texas. Widespread flooding from the storm affected 500,000 people throughout northeast Mexico, and ruined over 200000 hectares (494,210.3 acre) of crops in the region, equivalent to 11% of the region's total farmland.
Meteorological history
The weather system from which Hurricane Alex developed was first discernible as a disturbance in the Intertropical Convergence ZoneIntertropical Convergence Zone
The Intertropical Convergence Zone , known by sailors as The Doldrums, is the area encircling the earth near the equator where winds originating in the northern and southern hemispheres come together....
(ITCZ) on June 17, 2010. Over the next few days, most of its associated thunderstorm activity was embedded within the ITCZ. The National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
(NHC) first mentioned it as a candidate for tropical cyclone formation
Tropical cyclogenesis
Tropical cyclogenesis is the term that describes the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropical cyclogenesis occurs are distinctly different from those through which mid-latitude cyclogenesis occurs...
on June 20, while it was crossing the Windward Islands
Windward Islands
The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles, within the West Indies.-Name and geography:The Windward Islands are called such because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds in the...
into the southeastern Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
; at the time, some upper-level wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
was present, leading to conditions only marginally favorable for development. The system moved through the Caribbean, and on June 21, it developed to the extent that the NHC assessed a 50% chance of development into a tropical depression within 48 hours. The next day, however, the feature deteriorated as thunderstorm activity spread across the Greater Antilles
Greater Antilles
The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as...
, although the upper-level regime remained favorable for eventual redevelopment.
On June 24, a low-level circulation had gradually become better established to the south of Jamaica, although it was displaced from its poorly organized convection. By 1800 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
, a surface low-pressure area had formed about 105 miles (165 km) to the northeast of Cabo Gracias a Dios
Cabo Gracias a Dios
Cabo Gracias a Dios is a cape located in the middle of the east coast of Central America, within what is variously called the Mosquito Coast and La Mosquitia...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, but due to a lack of persistent thunderstorm activity, it was not yet considered a tropical cyclone. Later that day, convection increased over the center of circulation, and atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth . In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of air above the measurement point...
s dropped across the region. Late on June 25, Hurricane Hunters
Hurricane Hunters
The Hurricane Hunters are aircraft that fly into tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeastern Pacific Ocean for the specific purpose of directly measuring weather data in and around those storms. In the United States, the Air Force, Navy, and NOAA units have all participated in...
verified the development of a surface low pressure area, which, combined with the increase of thunderstorm activity, indicated the system was a tropical depression. Accordingly, the cyclone was classified as Tropical Depression One at 2200 UTC, while located about 345 miles (555 km) to the east-southeast of Chetumal, Quintana Roo. After the end of the hurricane season
2010 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2010 Atlantic hurricane season was the third most active Atlantic hurricane season on record, tying with the 1887 Atlantic hurricane season, 1995 Atlantic hurricane season and the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. It had the most number of named storms since the 2005 season and also ties with the...
, the National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
revised their analysis and estimated that the system had actually become a tropical depression at around 1800 UTC. At the time of its formation, the depression was moving to the west-northwest, steered by a high pressure system
Ridge (meteorology)
A ridge is an elongated region of relatively high atmospheric pressure, the opposite of a trough....
over the northern Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. An anticyclone
Anticyclone
An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined by the United States' National Weather Service's glossary as "[a] large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere"...
positioned over the storm created an environment of minimal wind shear, and the depression quickly intensified. At 0900 UTC on June 26, it obtained tropical storm status and was given the name Alex.
As Tropical Storm Alex progressed through the western Caribbean Sea towards the Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
, it developed a large field of clouds accompanied by well-established outflow
Outflow (meteorology)
Outflow, in meteorology, is air that flows outwards from a storm system. It is associated with ridging, or anticyclonic flow. In the low levels of the troposphere, outflow radiates from thunderstorms in the form of a wedge of rain-cooled air, which is visible as a thin rope-like cloud on weather...
throughout its circulation. Its inner structure was initially disorganized, although by late on June 26, it became better defined. At about 2100 UTC, as the tropical storm approached the Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
coast, a Hurricane Hunters flight reported winds of 65 mph (100 km/h); early on June 27, Alex made landfall
Landfall (meteorology)
Landfall is the event of a tropical cyclone or a waterspout coming onto land after being over water. When a waterspout makes landfall it is reclassified as a tornado, which can then cause damage inland...
just north of Belize City
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize. Unofficial estimates place the population of Belize City at 70,000 or more. It is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and...
at this intensity. Upon moving ashore, an area of convection increased over the center, and the convection initially became better defined as it crossed the Yucatán Peninsula. While most tropical cyclones weaken and become disorganized after landfall, Alex seemed to become stronger when viewed on radar and satellite imagery—the National Hurricane Center noted in one of its forecast discussions that the cyclone's structure more closely resembled a hurricane than a deteriorating storm. Still, after enough time over land, convective activity markedly decreased, and Alex weakened to tropical depression status as it approached the peninsula's western coastline. Late on June 27, the depression emerged into the Gulf of Mexico with a large overall convective structure but little thunderstorm activity near the center due to the interaction with land.
When Alex was still located over the Yucatán Peninsula, the NHC remarked upon the potential for significant strengthening. Because of low wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
and very warm water temperatures
Sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature is the water temperature close to the oceans surface. The exact meaning of surface varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masses in the Earth's atmosphere are highly modified by sea surface temperatures within a...
in the Gulf of Mexico, the possibility existed that Alex could intensify into a major hurricane
Tropical cyclone scales
Tropical systems are officially ranked on one of several tropical cyclone scales according to their maximum sustained winds and in what oceanic basin they are located...
—a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale—before its next landfall. Early on June 28, thunderstorm activity had reformed over the center, and the depression re-intensified into a tropical storm. For the next day, the combination of dry air, increasing wind shear and slightly cooler water temperatures prevented significant convection from developing over the center. At the same time, Alex was moving slowly off the northwest coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, and the environment's conditions became more favorable for intensification as the tropical storm tracked away from the coast. The circulation envelope of Alex remained very large, and by June 29, the storm's rainbands covered the entire western half of the Gulf of Mexico; rainfall was reported along the Texas and Louisiana coasts, even while the center was still several hundred miles offshore. The tropical storm continued to strengthen, and based on reports from Hurricane Hunters, it is estimated that Alex attained hurricane status at 0300 UTC on June 30, about 255 miles (415 km) southeast of Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
.
Upon becoming a hurricane, Alex was located in a moist, low shear environment, which led to steady intensification on June 30. The pressure continued to fall—a sign of an intensifying cyclone—with a more rapid drop occurring that afternoon and evening. The hurricane strengthened into a Category 2 storm late on June 30 as it approached the northeastern Mexican coast. At 0200 UTC on July 1, Alex made landfall at peak strength, with maximum sustained wind
Maximum sustained wind
The maximum sustained winds associated with a tropical cyclone are a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, they are found within the eyewall at a distance defined as the radius of maximum wind, or RMW. Unlike gusts, the value of these winds are...
s of 105 mph (165 km/h), gusts of 125 mph (205 km/h) and an unusually low central pressure of 947 millibars (28 inHg) in the municipality of Soto la Marina
Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas
Soto la Marina is a town in Soto la Marina Municipality located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It was directly hit by Hurricane Alex in 2010.-External links:* Official website...
in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
. After the storm, the National Hurricane Center revised the landfall intensity estimate, showing Alex was even stronger when it struck the Mexican coast, with sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) and a central pressure of 946 millibars (27.9 inHg). Several hours after moving ashore, the storm weakened to Category 1 status, and its structure began to deteriorate. However, deep convection persisted around the center. By 1200 UTC, Alex had weakened into a tropical storm; by 0000 UTC July 2, the Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...
disrupted Alex's core, causing the storm to weaken into a tropical depression and dissipate over San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
. However, the interaction with the mountain range caused orographic lift
Orographic lift
Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and create clouds and, under the right conditions,...
on the eastern side of the storm after the center of circulation had ceased to exist, producing torrential rainfall throughout northern and central Mexico. Following the dissipation of Alex, divergence
Divergence
In vector calculus, divergence is a vector operator that measures the magnitude of a vector field's source or sink at a given point, in terms of a signed scalar. More technically, the divergence represents the volume density of the outward flux of a vector field from an infinitesimal volume around...
at the 200 mb atmospheric pressure level (approximately at 10 km (6.2 mi) of altitude), a ridge of high pressure
Ridge (meteorology)
A ridge is an elongated region of relatively high atmospheric pressure, the opposite of a trough....
located over southern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and Alex's residual moisture interacted to produce intense convection over Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, Tamaulipas and Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
for the next 72 hours.
Caribbean
Immediately after the storm formed on June 25, a tropical storm warningTropical cyclone warnings and watches
Warnings and watches are two levels of alert issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local population and civil authorities to make appropriate...
was issued for the entire east coast of Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
. Shortly thereafter, the tropical storm warning was extended to include the east coast of Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
. Late on June 25, the Government of Honduras issued a tropical storm warning for the islands of Roatan
Roatán
Roatán, located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, is the largest of Honduras' Bay Islands. The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan...
, Guanaja
Guanaja
Guanaja is one of the Bay Islands of Honduras, and is in the Caribbean. It is about 70 km off the north coast of Honduras, and 12 km from the island of Roatan. One of the cays off Guanaja, also called Guanaja or Bonnaca or Low Cay , is near the main island, and contains most of the...
and Utila
Útila
Utila is the third largest of Honduras' Bay Islands, after Roatán and Guanaja, in a region that marks the south end of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second-largest in the world...
. A tropical storm watch was also issued from Limón to the border with Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
.
Western Gulf Coast
As Alex neared hurricane strength on the evening of June 28, a hurricane warning was issued for the coast of Texas south of Baffin Bay to the mouth of the Rio GrandeRio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
. The Mexican government also issued a hurricane warning from the Rio Grande south to La Cruz. A tropical storm warning was posted for coastal Texas from Baffin Bay northward to Port O'Connor
Port O'Connor, Texas
Port O'Connor is an unincorporated village in Calhoun County, Texas, United States, on the coastline between Galveston and Corpus Christi. The ZIP Code Tabulation Area including Port O'Connor had a population of 1,078 at the 2000 census...
. Governor of Texas Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
declared a state of disaster in 19 counties and ordered the deployment of Texas Military Forces
Texas Military Forces
The Texas Military Forces is the combined military strength of the U.S. state of Texas. It is composed of three branches, the Texas Army National Guard, the Texas Air National Guard, and the Texas State Guard; all report to the state Adjutant General and are under the command of the Governor of...
personnel (including 80 citizen-soldiers of the Texas State Guard Medical Brigade) to the Rio Grande Valley; President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
also declared a state of emergency, freeing federal funds for 25 counties in Texas.
On June 29, authorities began evacuations of residents of coastal areas in the Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
municipalities of Soto la Marina
Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas
Soto la Marina is a town in Soto la Marina Municipality located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It was directly hit by Hurricane Alex in 2010.-External links:* Official website...
, Matamoros
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
and San Fernando
San Fernando, Tamaulipas
San Fernando is a municipality and city located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.-Massacres:San Fernando, Tamaulipas is notorious for experiencing two of the largest recorded massacres of the Mexican Drug War...
municipalities. On June 30, the state's civil defense agency and education secretary announced that schools would be closed throughout the state during the storm. Thirteen shelters were opened in Reynosa, twenty-two in Matamoros, and ten in San Fernando; a total of 3,000 people sought protection from the storm in the three municipalities. Throughout the state, 20,000 people were asked to evacuate to safer areas. Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
schools were also ordered to be closed for at least 24 hours; the Universidad Regiomontana
Universidad Regiomontana
The Universidad Regiomontana is a institution of higher education in Monterrey, México. This university has origin in the Instituto Modelo de Educación, this was converted in the UR by the Eduardo Elizondo . In 1974 a group of entrepreneurs bought the university...
, Universidad de Monterrey
Universidad de Monterrey
The University of Monterrey is a Roman Catholic institution of higher learning located in Monterrey, Mexico....
and Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León
Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León
The Autonomous University of Nuevo León is a public university with seven campuses across the Northern state of Nuevo León, Mexico. Founded as University of Nuevo León on 25 September 1933, it is the oldest and largest university in the state in terms of student population and it is currently...
followed suit. In Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
, mandatory evacuations alongside the Santa Catarina River were ordered, as well as the evacuation of 5,000 families in the highlands of the city. Throughout the state, a total of 90 shelters were opened. Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
did not close its schools, expecting Alex to reach the state as a tropical depression or weaker, but asked its schools to not take attendance.
Prior to Alex making landfall, the Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
issued a flood watch
Flood watch
Flood alerts are issued by weather agencies to alert residents that flood conditions are a possibility for their area.-Types of flood alerts:...
for the southernmost region of the state. The storm was expected to produce heavy rainfall for up to 18 hours, which had the potential to cause significant flooding in poor drainage areas, especially those flooded by Hurricane Dolly
Hurricane Dolly (2008)
Hurricane Dolly was a tropical cyclone that made landfall in extreme southern Texas in July 2008. Dolly was the fourth tropical cyclone and second hurricane to form during the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the first U.S. landfalling hurricane of the 2008 season. Dolly developed on July 20...
in 2008. Officials opened hurricane shelters, and voluntary evacuations were put into place for South Padre Island
South Padre Island
South Padre Island is a barrier island in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located in Cameron County and is a popular vacation destination because the resort city South Padre Island is located on the island. The island itself is considered to have been settled by Padre Jose Nicolas Balli, who had a...
; at least 1,000 people sought shelter in Cameron
Cameron County, Texas
Cameron County is the southernmost county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 406,220. Its county seat is Brownsville. Cameron was founded in 1848...
and Hidalgo
Hidalgo County, Texas
Hidalgo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, Hidalgo County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, and is the seventh most-populous county in Texas. Its population in 2010 was 774,769, a 35% increase from 2000...
Counties.
Caribbean and Central America
The tropical wave from which Alex developed produced rainfall across the Greater AntillesGreater Antilles
The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as...
in the central Caribbean Sea. In the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, the rainfall triggered flooding that prompted the evacuations of over 3,000 people, mostly due to swollen rivers. In the capital city of Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, 160 houses were flooded, and one person was killed by the storm; one additional person was reported missing. In nearby San Juan de la Maguana
San Juan de la Maguana
San Juan de la Maguana is the capital city and the largest city in the province of San Juan and is the 10th largest city in the Dominican Republic.-References:...
, more than 500 homes were innundated. In neighboring Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, minor flooding was reported in Gonaïves
Gonaïves
Gonaïves is a city in northern Haiti, the capital of the Artibonite Department. It has a population of about 104,825 people . The city's name derives from the original Amerindian name of Gonaibo. It is also known as Haïti's "independence city"...
. The Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
Meteorological Service issued a flash flood warning for its entire island in response to the tropical wave producing thunderstorms across the nation.
Fourteen people were killed in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
as a result of flooding related to Alex: six in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, six in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, and two in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. In El Salvador, the national chapter of the Red Cross evacuated over 150 families from La Paz
La Paz Department (El Salvador)
La Paz is a department of El Salvador in the south central area of the country. The capital is Zacatecoluca. La Paz has an area of 1,224 km² and a population of more than 300,000. The department was created in 1852. There are various caves containing rock writing. The department has a church...
and Sonsonate departments. The El Salvador government reported nine injuries, and 5,000 people in the country evacuated their residences; the majority of the evacuees was temporarily relocated to 55 shelters. Alex inflicted damage to 349 homes, 31 schools and 10 bridges, and 27 highways were compromised or blocked. In Guatemala, 350 homes and eight highways were damaged, affecting 9,000 people; 2,000 sought shelter in the country. A landslide was reported in a village in Santa Lucía Utatlán
Santa Lucía Utatlán
Santa Lucía Utatlán is a municipality in the Sololá department of Guatemala....
, along with flooding in Flores
Flores, El Petén
Flores is the capital city of Petén department of Guatemala. It is located at . The population is 13,700 .Flores serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality, with which it shares a name ....
. Corn, bean, and potato crops were damaged in Suchitepéquez, San Marcos and Jutiapa departments. The National Emergency Management Organization of Belize reported that property damage in the country was minimal.
Gulf of Mexico
According to the Mexican government, Alex stopped the production of 420000 barrels (66,774.7 m³) of oil per day from the Gulf of Mexico, which corresponds to a quarter of the country's total oil production. PemexPemex
Petróleos Mexicanos or Pemex is a Mexican state-owned petroleum company. As of 2010, with a total asset worth of $415.75 billion, it is the second non-publicly listed largest company in the world by total market value, and Latin America's second largest enterprise by annual revenue as of 2009...
evacuated 66 personnel from oil rigs offshore of Tamaulipas and Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, Petrobras
Petrobras
Petróleo Brasileiro or Petrobras is a semi-public Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, and the largest company headquartered in the Southern Hemisphere by market...
evacuated its oil rig in the Gulf, while Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
evacuated 930 personnel from its rigs in the area. In total, six rigs and 69 production platforms faced evacuations, causing 21% of U.S. Gulf oil output and 14% of U.S. Gulf natural-gas flows to remain offline.
The storm was expected to impact operations regarding the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
, with both containment and cleanup operations being affected by repercussions from the storm (such as wave action and wind direction). Although Alex stayed relatively away from the site, the storm caused BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
to delay plans to increase oil capture from the leak by a week. Tarball
Tarball (oil)
A tarball is a blob of petroleum which has been weathered after floating in the ocean. Tarballs are an aquatic pollutant in most environments, although they can occur naturally and as such are not always associated with oil spills....
s from the spill as large as apples washed onshore around Grand Isle
Grand Isle, Louisiana
Grand Isle is a town in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, located on a barrier island of the same name in the Gulf of Mexico. The island is at the mouth of Barataria Bay where it meets the gulf. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,541; during summers, the population sometimes increases to...
, as well as other parts of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, from high storm tide
Storm tide
A storm tide is a tide with a high flood period caused by a storm. Storm tides can be a severe danger to the coast and the people living along the coast. The water level can rise to more than 5 meters above the normal tide....
s created by the hurricane.
Southern Mexico
In ChiapasChiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
, one person from Guatemala died and four others were injured when their bus rolled over as it traveled over a damaged highway. The state's civil defense system reported that 984 families from 17 municipalities were evacuated to shelters, and that Alex's torrential rainfall also produced 23 landslides in six counties of the state. On June 30, a mudslide knocked down a tree onto a 115-kV transmission line
Overhead power line
An overhead power line is an electric power transmission line suspended by towers or utility poles. Since most of the insulation is provided by air, overhead power lines are generally the lowest-cost method of transmission for large quantities of electric energy...
near El Vergel, causing 82 cities and towns in the municipalities of Villaflores
Villaflores, Chiapas
Villaflores is a town and municipio in the state of Chiapas, southern Mexico, and the name of its largest settlement and seat of the municipal government. Situated in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas range, the municipality has an area of approximately 1232km² at an average elevation of 540m above mean...
and Villa Corzo
Villa Corzo
Villa Corzo is a town and one of the 119 municipalities of Chiapas, in southern Mexico.The only urban area is the Villa Corzo City ....
to lose power; 32,000 residents were left without electricity from this outage alone. Power was restored the same evening. In Yucatán
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
, a boat carrying seven passengers capsized; all were eventually rescued. In Campeche
Campeche
Campeche is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in Southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west...
, 937 dwellings suffered minor damage as a result of the storm.
Prior to its second landfall, Alex caused one death in the state of Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
when a wall collapsed on a dwelling in San Juan Chapultepec, killing the woman who was sleeping inside. Near San Francisco Ixhuatán, the Ostuta river breached its banks, flooding 1,000 homes. Farther upstream, in Reforma de Pineda, over 100 families were affected by the river's rise, which flooded their homes with 1 m (3.3 ft) of water. Overall, 3,500 families were affected by the storm in the state.
The outer rainbands of Alex caused three deaths in Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, Guerrero
Guerrero
Guerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
, after a retaining wall collapsed over the occupants of an improvised shack in a vacant lot. The investigation that followed found that the wall had been built without structural enforcements, and that the torrential rainfall had weakened the wall's foundation.
Northeastern Mexico
The storm's most significant effect in the region was excessive rainfall, which was reported throughout the region. In Tamaulipas, between 97.25 to 315.5 mm (3.8 to 12.4 in) of precipitation were reported at weather stations statewide. In Nuevo León, an average of 242 mm (9.5 in) of rain was reported statewide up to July 1. The pluviometer at Estanzuela reported that a total of 890 mm (35 in) of rainfall were recorded; in Arroyo Seco, in San Pedro Garza GarcíaSan Pedro Garza García
San Pedro Garza García is a city-municipality of the Mexican state of Nuevo León and is part of Monterrey's Metropolitan Area, based on the suburban North American model...
, a total of 588 mm (23.1 in) of precipitation was recorded between June 29 and on July 1. Other rainfall stations in Monterrey recorded between 359.75 mm (14.2 in) and 619 mm (24.4 in) of rain, while Santa Catarina recorded 591.75 mm (23.3 in) of precipitation. The Comisión Nacional del Agua (CNA) noted that the storm rainfall totals greatly exceed the totals produced by Hurricane Gilbert
Hurricane Gilbert
Hurricane Gilbert was an extremely powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that formed during the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season and created widespread destruction in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It is the second most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin behind only...
in 1988, which only produced 280 mm (11 in) of rain in the city.
The historic rainfall caused several dams to fill throughout northeast Mexico. In Nuevo León, due to the heavy rainfall, CNA also began water discharges of 713 m3/s from the La Boca Dam in Santiago
Santiago, Nuevo León
Santiago is a municipality located in the center of the Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is part of the Monterrey metropolitan area and its area comprises around 763.8 km² . According to the 2005 census, its population is 37,886 inhabitants ....
, 1648 m3/s from Cerro Prieto in Linares
Linares, Nuevo León
Linares is a small city in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. The city serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality of the same name and it is the largest urban centre of the so called "orange belt" region. The city had a 2005 census population of 56,065, while the...
, and 3080 m3/s from Cuchillo Dam in China
China, Nuevo León
China is a municipality in the Mexican state of Nuevo León.China is approximately 60 miles northeast of Monterrey. Population, approximately 10,000. Area is known for its award-winning cattle. Local cuisine includes cabrito , and carne seca with egg....
; the dams were at 98%, 114%, and 124% of operating maximum capacity, respectively. Cuchillo Dam saw water inflows of 4118 m3/s. The water releases from these dams raised a state of alert in Tamaulipas, which was slated to receive the discharged water. In Coahuila, the rainfall caused La Fragua Dam to release 1000 m3/s of water into the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, and Amistad Dam
Amistad Reservoir
Amistad Reservoir is a reservoir on the Rio Grande at its confluence with the Devils River 12 miles northwest of Del Rio, Texas, USA. The lake is bounded by Val Verde County on the Texas side of the international border, and the state of Coahuila on the Mexican side of the border...
to reach 119% of normal operating capacity. In the case of the latter dam, the excess storage in Amistad Lake sparked fears of flooding in downstream municipalities, although the possibility of overtopping of the dam was discarded by the Mexican section of the International Boundary and Water Commission
International Boundary and Water Commission
The International Boundary and Water Commission is an international body created in 1889 by the United States and Mexico to administer the many boundary and water-rights treaties and agreements between the two nations....
. However, contingency plans were put in place to prepare for the crest of the Sabinas River, a tributary of the Rio Grande, and the subsequent crest on the Rio Grande itself, which was expected to carry at least 4000 m3/s due to additional inflows from other tributaries. At one point, the Rio Grande was clocked at 5530 m3/s due to its many flooded tributaries. The river's rise forced the evacuation of 40 families in Piedras Negras
Piedras Negras, Coahuila
-Natural Resources:This region generates a large amount of the national production of coal, one of the most economically important non-metallic minerals in the state.-Tourism:Piedras Negras' main tourist attractions are:...
, and required the closure of the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge
Gateway to the Americas International Bridge
The Gateway to the Americas International Bridge is one of four vehicular international bridges located in the cities of Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, that connect the United States and Mexico over the Rio Grande...
and Colombia–Solidarity International Bridge between Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas and Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
on July 8. The bridges were expected to be closed until at least July 10. The rise of the Escondido River forced the evacuation of 1,000 families in Villa de Fuente, as the river rose to carry 650 m3/s through the town.
The rainfall also caused Venustiano Carranza Dam in Coahuila to fill completely; the large water pressure in the dam forced the dam's gates shut, and cranes were employed to open them. The rest of the gates were unable to be opened due to lack of electrical power, sparking fears of a potential dam overtopping or rupture. The municipality of Anáhuac
Anáhuac, Nuevo León
Anáhuac is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. The city of Anáhuac was founded on May 5, 1933, inside the municipal jurisdiction of Lampazos de Naranjo, Nuevo León, as the political head of the National System of Irrigation No.04 . On May 29, 1935, this city was declared a...
in Nuevo León was evacuated after reports early on July 6 that the dam had overtopped; Anáhuac's municipal president
Municipal president
A presidente municipal is the chief of government of municipios in Mexico. The position is comparable to the county executive of a county in the United States or to the mayor of a city in the United States, although the jurisdiction of a presidente municipal includes not only a city but the...
stated that the flood could cause the "total destruction" of the city. On July 7, as water releases from the dam were increased to 3300 m3/s, the town was reported to be 3 m (9.8 ft) underwater, with more discharge expected. Personnel from the Mexican Army
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army is the combined land and air branch and largest of the Mexican Military services; it also is known as the National Defense Army. It is famous for having been the first army to adopt and use an automatic rifle, , in 1899, and the first to issue automatic weapons as standard issue...
and the city's prison population were evacuated from Anáhuac that same day. In San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
, the rainfall from Alex was beneficial, as it caused increases in dam water levels of up to 20% in very dry areas.
Tamaulipas
Along the coast, 4 m (13.1 ft) waves were reported when the storm came ashore. Following the hurricane's landfall in TamaulipasTamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
, a 25-year-old man was rescued from a storm drain. 60,000 people in San Fernando lost power, as did all of Ciudad Victoria, the capital of the state. Throughout the state, 256,000 people were left without electricity. Heavy winds and rainfall knocked down billboards and trees in the capital, but no injuries were reported in the city. The storm dropped 10 inch of rainfall in Matamoros
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
, flooding 120 colonia
Colonia (Mexico)
In general, colonias are neighborhoods in Mexican cities, which have no jurisdictional autonomy or representation. It is plausible that the name, which literally means colony, arose in the late 19th, early 20th centuries, when one of the first urban developments outside Mexico City's core was...
s, and leaving six of the 120 underwater. About 400 neighborhoods of Matamoros, comprising 80% of the city, were flooded. Some areas of the city were under 1 ft (0.3048 m) of water, forcing 4,000 people to shelters. In Reynosa, 80 colonias were flooded, and 15 trees were uprooted; in Río Bravo
Río Bravo, Tamaulipas
Río Bravo formally Ciudad Río Bravo is a city in northern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is the municipal seat of Río Bravo Municipality. The city lies east of Reynosa and just south of the Río Bravo del Norte and was also named after it. Directly across the U.S.-Mexico border lies...
, seven neighborhoods were flooded. In Nuevo Laredo, three young persons were rescued from a flooded arroyo. The Conchos River also breached its banks, flooding communities in San Fernando
San Fernando, Tamaulipas
San Fernando is a municipality and city located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.-Massacres:San Fernando, Tamaulipas is notorious for experiencing two of the largest recorded massacres of the Mexican Drug War...
and Méndez
Méndez, Tamaulipas
-External links:* Official website...
. The overflow of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
following water discharges from Nuevo León isolated two communities in Miguel Alemán
Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas
Miguel Alemán, or El Carrizo, is a town located in Nuevo Laredo Municipality in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. According to the INEGI Census of 2010, Miguel Alemán had a population of 114 inhabitants. Its elevation is 136 meters above sea level....
. One death was reported in the state on July 7 when a man died while trying to cross a flooded river.
Throughout the state, the storm and resultant floods damaged at least 6,000 homes, 202 schools, and 500 businesses. Additionally, 28 roadways and bridges were damaged, and left over 193,000 power consumers lost electric service. Property damage was placed at $1.084 billion (2010 MXN; 83.8 million USD) in the 19 municipalities of the state that were declared federal disaster areas.
Nuevo León
In Nuevo LeónNuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, fifteen people were confirmed to have died: one bricklayer who died after a housing unit under construction collapsed on top of him; two men and a woman who died after their vehicle rolled over and crashed into a semi-trailer truck
Semi-trailer truck
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...
due to the intense rainfall; a 25-year-old who was swept away by swift currents and pinned against a fence; an elderly man who died after a wall toppled over him, a woman who died after a large boulder from a rock slide fell on her home, and a young man who fell onto the Arroyo
Arroyo (creek)
An arroyo , a Spanish word translated as brook, and also called a wash is usually a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo.-Types and processes:Arroyos...
Topo Chico. Eight more bodies were found after floodwaters began receding, although one is believed to have been washed away from a cemetery. Twenty people in Nuevo León were reported missing.
According to the Comisión Federal de Electricidad
Comisión Federal de Electricidad
The Comisión Federal de Electricidad is the Mexican state-owned electric widely known as CFE. It is the dominant electric company and the second most powerful state-owned company in Mexico after Pemex. The Mexican constitution states that the government is responsible for the control and...
, 4,000 customers lost electric power in the Monterrey metropolitan area, as did 61,000 people statewide. 18 wells lost power, leaving 110,000 without water service in the municipalities of Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina, Nuevo León
Santa Catarina is a city and municipality in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico that is part of the Monterrey Metropolitan area.-History:The name of this city comes from the Catholic Saint Catherine of Alexandria....
and García
García, Nuevo León
García is a municipality located to the northwest of the Monterrey metropolitan area in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. García had, according to the 2005 census, a population of 51,658 persons...
. Heavy flooding occurred along the Santa Catarina River in Monterrey, normally a dry river bed that flows into the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, causing it to reach a record flow of 2500 m3/s. The flooded stream washed away multiple parked vehicles, a popular flea market
Flea market
A flea market or swap meet is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered. It may be indoors, such as in a warehouse or school gymnasium; or it may be outdoors, such as in a field or under a tent...
, and sport facilities built within a riverside greenway
Greenway (landscape)
A greenway is a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle user traffic, and sometimes for streetcar, light rail or retail uses.- Terminology :...
. The Santa Catarina River also destroyed about 45 kilometres (28 mi) of Monterrey's main arterial streets. Multiple washout
Washout
A washout is the sudden erosion of soft soil or other support surfaces by a gush of water, usually occurring during a heavy downpour of rain or other stream flooding. These downpours may occur locally in a thunderstorm , or over a large area, such as following the landfall of a tropical cyclone...
s caused the closure of the divided highway between Monterrey and Saltillo, Coahuila. In San Nicolás de los Garza
San Nicolás de los Garza
San Nicolás de los Garza, sometimes known only as San Nicolás, is a city and coextensive municipality in the Mexican state of Nuevo León that is part of the Monterrey Metropolitan area. It has become primarily a city for residencies and family houses, although it still has several factories that...
, the Arroyo Topo Chico exceeded its banks, forcing multiple street closures. An explosion and fire occurred on a bridge in the Guadalupe
Guadalupe, Nuevo León
Guadalupe is a city and surrounding municipality located in the state of Nuevo León, in northern Mexico. It is part of the Greater Monterrey Metropolitan area....
municipality when a transformer
Transformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...
fell on an old gas pipe. No injuries were reported due to the fire. In Linares
Linares, Nuevo León
Linares is a small city in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. The city serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality of the same name and it is the largest urban centre of the so called "orange belt" region. The city had a 2005 census population of 56,065, while the...
, the rainfall from Alex's remnants caused a wing of the municipal townhouse, which was built in 1896, to collapse. The building was listed as a protected historic building. A bridge on the Pilón River collapsed in Montemorelos, rupturing a 24-inch oil pipeline in the process. However, the valves on both ends of the pipeline section were closed, minimizing the leak over the river, and the leak was not expected to adversely impact drinking water supplies in El Cuchillo Dam. Hurricane Alex affected the infrastructure of 1,077 schools in the state, 60 of which were severely damaged and 552 held intermediate damage. Nation-wide disruption in Internet connection and cell phone services was caused by damage to optical fibers, backbone nodes
Internet backbone
The Internet backbone refers to the principal data routes between large, strategically interconnected networks and core routers in the Internet...
and telephonic central stations in Monterrey. Additionally, Telefónica
Telefónica
Telefónica, S.A. is a Spanish broadband and telecommunications provider in Europe and Latin America. Operating globally, it is the third largest provider in the world...
reported damage to its network in Monterrey and Saltillo, causing intermittent unavailability of telecommunication services. Preliminary estimates of the damage in the state rose to $10 billion (2010 MXN; $762 million USD); final damage estimates released on August 5 totaled $16.9 billion (2010 MXN; 1.35 billion USD) statewide.
Coahuila
In CoahuilaCoahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
, rainfall from Alex's remnants caused a small dam in an ejido
Ejido
The ejido system is a process whereby the government promotes the use of communal land shared by the people of the community. This use of community land was a common practice during the time of Aztec rule in Mexico...
in Castaños
Castaños (municipality)
Castaños is a one of the 38 municipalities of Coahuila, in north-eastern Mexico. The municipal seat lies at Castaños. The municipality covers an area of 7860 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 23,871....
to overtop, forcing the evacuation of 50 people in the municipality's seat. The ensuing flood rose 1 m (3.3 ft) and damaged 15 homes. The coal-producing region of the state was left isolated after the Álamos River broke its banks. Hundreds of residents in Nueva Rosita
Nueva Rosita
Nueva Rosita is a town in the northeastern part of the state of Coahuila in northern Mexico. It lies about 11 km northwest of the city of Sabinas on Federal Highway 57, and serves as the municipal seat of San Juan de Sabinas municipality....
and Sabinas
Sabinas, Coahuila
Sabinas is a city in Sabinas Municipality of the same name located in the northeastern quadrant of the state of Coahuila in Mexico. As of the 2005 census the city had a population of 47,933, while the municipality of which the city serves as municipal seat had a population of 53,042. The...
were evacuated; in the latter case, the Sabinas River flooded to become 300 m (984.3 ft) in width, causing 400–500 homes to go underwater. Some bridges on Mexican Federal Highway 57
Mexican Federal Highway 57
Mexican Federal Highway 57 is a Federal Highway of Mexico.The 1248 kilometre highway connects Mexico City with Piedras Negras, Coahuila. This road links many major highways in the country, forming the backbone of the road network in Mexico...
were covered in water. Thousands of citizens in Ciudad Acuña
Ciudad Acuña
Ciudad Acuña, also known simply as Acuña, is a city located in the Mexican state of Coahuila, at and a mean height above sea level of 271 meters...
were evacuated when the Arroyo Las Vacas flooded after 40 in (1,016 mm) of rain fell on nearby mountain ranges. The flood damaged 1,000 homes, damaging urban infrastructure, power, water and telecommunication services; 500 people sought refuge in shelters. The loss of power caused 40 maquiladora
Maquiladora
A maquiladora or maquila is a concept often referred to as an operation that involves manufacturing in a country that is not the client's and as such has an interesting duty or tariff treatment...
s to suspend their activities, stopping 16,000 workers. The rainfall caused damage in 15 municipalities of Coahuila, affecting 10,000 people, and causing at least $1 billion (2010 MXN; $76 million USD) in damage in the state.
United States
In southern Texas, the feeder bandsRainband
A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands can be stratiform or convective, and are generated by differences in temperature. When noted on weather radar imagery, this precipitation elongation is referred to as...
on the northern side of the hurricane began producing tropical-storm-force winds throughout Cameron
Cameron County, Texas
Cameron County is the southernmost county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 406,220. Its county seat is Brownsville. Cameron was founded in 1848...
, Willacy and Kenedy Counties starting on June 30. The highest reported sustained wind was of 51 mph (82.1 km/h) at the southeast tip of Port Isabel
Port Isabel, Texas
Port Isabel is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas...
. The strongest gust occurred over the Queen Isabella Causeway
Queen Isabella Causeway
Located in southern Cameron County, Texas, the two-mile long Queen Isabella Causeway is the only road connecting South Padre Island, Texas to the mainland. The Causeway was opened in 1974 and replaced the previous bridge which had also been named Queen Isabella Causeway...
, where a wind speed of 66 mph (106.2 km/h) was measured. Sustained winds of 39 mph (62.8 km/h) and gusts of 53 mph (85.3 km/h) were measured in Bayview
Bayview, Texas
Bayview is a town in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 323 at the 2000 census. It may be included as part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas.-Geography:...
.
The feeder bands also produced heavy rainfall, leading to flooding on South Padre Island. A storm surge
Storm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...
of 3.5 feet (1.1 m) was reported on the island, causing moderate beach erosion. However, more significant damage was avoided as the bulk of the 4 feet (1.2 m) storm tide
Storm tide
A storm tide is a tide with a high flood period caused by a storm. Storm tides can be a severe danger to the coast and the people living along the coast. The water level can rise to more than 5 meters above the normal tide....
hit South Padre and Port Isabel
Port Isabel, Texas
Port Isabel is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas...
at low tide. Nine tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down in the state in association with the storm, one of which overturned a mobile home. Other tornadoes caused mainly minimal damages to trees and shrubbery. About 9,000 customers lost power throughout Texas.
Large amounts of precipitation fell throughout the Lower Rio Grande Valley
Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas...
, with 6 to 9 in (152.4 to 228.6 mm) of rainfall recorded throughout the region. Brownsville Airport
Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport
-Cargo:The airport is the largest air cargo handling airport in the Rio Grande Valley.Pan American Airways and World-Wide Consolidated Logistics, Inc. will open cargo service to Latin America in 2011. A TSA Certified Cargo Screening Facility is being established by World-Wide Consolidated...
had 6.8 inches (172.7 mm) of precipitation in a 36–hour period. The 5.86 inches (148.8 mm) of rain that fell alone on June 30 broke the daily rainfall record of 3.8 inches (96.5 mm) from 1995. McAllen, Texas
McAllen, Texas
McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the . Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.–Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio...
, measured 6.66 inches (169.2 mm) of rain on June 30, which now constitutes the city's wettest June day on record. In Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, more rain fell on 1 and 2 July than the normal rainfall for the entire month of July. Some parts of the city received nearly 12 inches (304.8 mm) of rain over three days, causing scattered street flooding.
Flooding caused by the rainfall from the remnants of Alex caused the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
river at Foster Ranch, in far western Texas to exceed 31 ft (9.4 m), well above the flood stage at 14 ft (4.3 m) and the record stage at 25.9 ft (7.9 m). Combined with the rainfall produced by Tropical Depression Two
Tropical Depression Two (2010)
Tropical Depression Two was a short-lived tropical cyclone that impacted portions of Texas and Mexico during the highly active 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed from a tropical wave that emerged off the western coast of Africa and crossed the Atlantic Ocean without any development...
, the Rio Grande was under flood conditions for much of the month of July. About $10 million (2010 USD) of agricultural damage was reported in Hidalgo County
Hidalgo County, Texas
Hidalgo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, Hidalgo County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, and is the seventh most-populous county in Texas. Its population in 2010 was 774,769, a 35% increase from 2000...
from Alex.
Government response
Following the storm's final landfall, Mexico's Secretariat of National Defense deployed 800 troops to Nuevo León and Tamaulipas under Plan DN-III-E to help aid operations. The troops enforced mandatory evacuations of 3,337 residents of San Fernando and Soto la Marina in Tamaulipas. Throughout Nuevo León, 60,000 people were evacuated from their homes. In Tamaulipas, 263,000 people were affected by Hurricane Alex, and 2,260 homes were flooded. In Coahuila, 80,000 were affected by Alex's remnants, leaving 30% of the municipalities of the state without communication with the outside world. 20,000 were considered total losses, most of them in Sabinas. Approximately 500,000 people were affected by floods throughout northeastern Mexico.The Secretaría de Gobernación
Secretaría de Gobernación
The Secretaría de Gobernación , often shortened to SEGOB is the Cabinet-level agency of Mexico responsible for administering the country's internal affairs, similar to other country's interior ministries...
declared a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
in 21 of Nuevo León's 51 municipalities
Municipalities of Nuevo León
The Mexican state of Nuevo León is divided into 51 municipalities, which take their names from their municipal seats. The most populous one is Monterrey, which also serves as the capital of the state...
, freeing federal disaster funds for use in aid operations. An additional 10 municipalities were placed under the state of emergency on July 8. A similar declaration was made for 8 municipalities in Oaxaca, and for 14 municipalities in Tamaulipas; the state of emergency in Tamaulipas was later expanded to 30 municipalities. Mexican President Felipe Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
requested adding resources to the federal disaster fund, as the $3 billion (2010 MXN; $235 million USD) it held would not be sufficient to face the damage in Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. In the months following the storm, a total of $4.8 billion (2010 MXN; $375 million USD) was released by the federal and state governments to aid in the reconstruction of the disaster areas in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. In Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
activated the state's search and rescue capabilities in Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
and San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. This activation was due to the flooding on the Rio Grande Valley, which was expected to worsen due to the approach of Tropical Depression Two
Tropical Depression Two (2010)
Tropical Depression Two was a short-lived tropical cyclone that impacted portions of Texas and Mexico during the highly active 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed from a tropical wave that emerged off the western coast of Africa and crossed the Atlantic Ocean without any development...
to the area affected by Alex.
Even after its dissipation, Alex continued causing deaths throughout Mexico, particularly due to flooding. One death was reported in Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
and another one in San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
; another six were reported to have died in Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
as a result of Alex. In Coahuila, eight people died after a plane crashed while surveying the water discharges from dams in the state; the Coahuila secretary of public works and the municipal president of Piedras Negras were among the victims.
Infrastructure
The storm caused severe devastation in Nuevo León, and in particular throughout the Monterrey metropolitan areaMonterrey Metropolitan area
The Monterrey metropolitan area refers to the surrounding urban agglomeration of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Officially called Area Metropolitana de la Ciudad de Monterrey or AMM, the metropolitan area is the 3rd-largest such area in Mexico....
. State governor Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz
Rodrigo Medina
Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz is a Mexican politician affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Party . He is the current Governor of Nuevo León.-Political career:...
noted that the city of Monterrey had "collapsed due to the worst weather phenomenon in its history." In the municipality of Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina, Nuevo León
Santa Catarina is a city and municipality in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico that is part of the Monterrey Metropolitan area.-History:The name of this city comes from the Catholic Saint Catherine of Alexandria....
alone, 50,000 people were affected, with property damage being estimated at $1.2 billion (2010 MXN; 93.5 million USD). Residents from 3 colonias
Colonia (Mexico)
In general, colonias are neighborhoods in Mexican cities, which have no jurisdictional autonomy or representation. It is plausible that the name, which literally means colony, arose in the late 19th, early 20th centuries, when one of the first urban developments outside Mexico City's core was...
in García
García, Nuevo León
García is a municipality located to the northwest of the Monterrey metropolitan area in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. García had, according to the 2005 census, a population of 51,658 persons...
had to be permanently relocated as 800 homes were destroyed; the storm caused $900 million (2010 MXN; 70 million USD) in damage in the municipality. The flooding Santa Catarina River destroyed four bridges in Monterrey; at least 60 bridges were damaged statewide. Governor Medina also announced on July 3 the allocation of $1.4 billion (2010 MXN; $107 million USD) for repairs to Monterrey's arterial streets. Municipalities in the metropolitan area used contraflow
Contraflow lane reversal
Contraflow lane reversal refers to plans that alter the normal flow of traffic, typically on a controlled-access highway , to either aid in an emergency evacuation or, as part of routine maintenance activities, to facilitate widening or reconstruction of one of the highway's carriageways...
during part of the day to re-establish traffic in sections where the arterial streets bordering the Santa Catarina River were damaged only in one direction. The repairs to Monterrey's main roadways were estimated to take up to three months to complete.
Railway traffic throughout the state was paralyzed, as some train bridges collapsed, and extensive damage was found in the track ballast
Track ballast
Track ballast forms the trackbed upon which railway sleepers or railroad ties are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to facilitate drainage of water, to distribute the load from the railroad ties, and also to keep down vegetation that might interfere with the track...
in multiple rail lines. Kansas City Southern Railway
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...
reported it expected a net loss of five cents per share on its annual earnings due to the stoppage affecting its Mexican subsidiary. The company later reported a drop of $33 million (2010 USD) in revenue due to hurricane damage. The damage to the railway infrastructure caused automotive part shortages throughout North America. General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
was forced to cancel shifts at plants in Michigan, Missouri and Kansas. Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
also idled production in its Oakville, Ontario
Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
assembly plant, and suffered two-week delays in U.S. deliveries of its Fiesta model
Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...
due to the rail track damage. The damage to the road system paralyzed a route used by 40% of the trade between the United States and Mexico, as 22,000 trucks were stalled after damage to the Nuevo Laredo–Monterrey highway.
Alex destroyed the potable water infrastructure in portions of Nuevo León, causing widespread shortages of water. The damage to the water infrastructure was described as being of "unexpected magnitude," with 160,000 left without water a week after the storm made landfall. The standing water left following the rainfall caused concern of outbreaks of various diseases, including cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
. Consequently, the population was warned to boil or otherwise disinfect water to prevent disease. In areas where the storm's impact made it difficult to boil water due to the unavailability of gas or stoves, 70,000 jars with colloidal silver
Colloidal silver
The medical uses of silver include its incorporation into wound dressings to treat external infections, and its use as an antiseptic and disinfectant in medical appliances...
were distributed. Additionally, laboratory testing of refuse
Human waste
Human waste is a waste type usually used to refer to byproducts of digestion, such as feces and urine. Human waste is most often transported as sewage in waste water through sewerage systems...
coming from individuals with gastrointestinary illnesses commenced as a precaution to identify outbreaks of cholera and other diseases, and over 82,000 vaccines were applied throughout the region. Following the storm's passage, PROFECO
PROFECO
The Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor, or Office of the Federal Prosecutor for the Consumer is an organization of the Mexican government, dependent of the Attorney General, designed to protect consumers against abuses or fraud by companies operating in Mexico.Mexico became the second Latin...
announced fines of up to $2.5 million (2010 MXN; $191,000 USD) to merchants guilty of price gouging
Price gouging
Price gouging is a pejorative term referring to a situation in which a seller prices goods or commodities much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. In precise, legal usage, it is the name of a crime that applies in some of the United States during civil emergencies...
when selling bottled water. This occurred after the agency received complaints of 1500% markups when compared to bottled water's pre-storm price. On July 7, the agency announced it had applied sanctions to 20 businesses who were found overcharging for bottled water.
Economic and environmental effects
According to estimates from the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and FoodSecretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food
The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food is Mexico's agriculture ministry.-External links:*...
(SAGARPA), 203800 hectares (503,600.3 acre) of farmland were damaged as a result from Alex in northeastern Mexico, corresponding to 11% of the total farmland in Tamaulipas, Nuevo León and Coahuila. Most of the agricultural damage occurred in Tamaulipas, where 110000 ha (271,815.7 acre) of sorghum
Commercial sorghum
Commercial sorghum refers to the cultivation and commercial exploitation of species of grasses within the genus Sorghum . These plants are used for grain, fibre and fodder. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide...
and 80000 ha (197,684.1 acre) of maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
were damaged, corresponding to 15.6% of the entirety of the state's farmland, and 76% of the state's maize crop; 700 ha (1,729.7 acre) of grapefruit and limes were also damaged, corresponding to 15% of the state's citrus production. Two thousand heads of cattle were also lost in Nuevo Laredo. In Nuevo León and Coahuila, most of the damage was to animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
; in Nuevo León, 3,645 heads of cattle, 3,580 goats, 7,265 sheep and 194 horses were lost, while in Coahuila, 3,709 goats, 258 cattle and 56 sheep were killed.
The storm also affected commerce throughout the region. The Mexican Secretariat of Economy calculated that Alex affected 2,500 small and medium enterprises in Nuevo León, 500 in Tamaulipas, and 500–700 in Coahuila. In Monterrey, the local chapter
CANACO
Mexico´s Local Chambers of Commerce all of whom are affiliated to CONCANACO ....
of the Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce
CONCANACO
CONCANACO is Mexico's Confederation of the National Chambers of Commerce. Founded in 1917, it is a public institution with complete autonomy that coordinates and represents the local Chambers of Commerce before the Federal Government...
reported that in the first two days after Hurricane Alex affected the city, businesses in the city lost $750 million (2010 MXN; 58 million USD). Overall, the lost business due to Alex is expected to total about $2 billion (2010 MXN; 156 million USD).
As floodwaters receded from the Pesquería River in Escobedo, Nuevo León, the remnants of a 15,000-year-old mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
were discovered by local residents. It is believed that the remains were carried from the state of Coahuila to Escobedo by the floodwaters. The remnants were identified and dated by personnel from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.
Meteorological records
Alex was the first Atlantic hurricane in the month of June since Hurricane AllisonHurricane Allison (1995)
Hurricane Allison was the first named storm and first hurricane of the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season. It was an early season hurricane that delivered heavy rains and caused minor damage, primarily across Cuba, Florida and Georgia....
in 1995, and the strongest in terms of wind speed since Hurricane Alma
Hurricane Alma (1966)
Hurricane Alma was a rare June major hurricane in the 1966 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the earliest continental U.S. hurricane strike within any season since 1908...
in 1966
1966 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1966 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1966, and lasted until November 30, 1966. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The 1966 season was near normal with eleven tropical storms...
. Its barometric pressure recording of 946 mbar (27.96 inches) is the most intense from any Atlantic hurricane in June, although Hurricane Audrey
Hurricane Audrey
Hurricane Audrey was the first major hurricane of the 1957 Atlantic hurricane season. Audrey was the only storm to reach Category 4 status in June. A powerful hurricane, Audrey caused catastrophic damage across eastern Texas and western Louisiana. It then affected the South Central United States as...
in 1957
1957 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1957 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 15, 1957, and lasted until November 15, 1957. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The season was below average, with eight total storms and just three...
ties this intensity. Alex is thus tied for the most intense June Atlantic hurricane on record overall.
See also
- Other storms named Alex
- List of tropical cyclone names
