Hurricane Celia (2010)
Encyclopedia
Hurricane Celia was a powerful, early-season Category 5 tropical cyclone
that existed over the open waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean during late June 2010. Forming out of a tropical wave
about 370 mi (595 km) southeast of Acapulco
, Mexico
on June 18, Celia quickly organized as deep convection
consolidated around the center, attaining hurricane status by June 20. Over the following days, the hurricane's winds fluctuated as wind shear
impeded significant development. Once this shear lightened on June 24, the storm rapidly intensified
to attain its peak strength with winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) and an estimated barometric pressure of 921 mbar
(hPa
; 27.2 inHg). Not long after reaching this strength, wind shear increased and the system entered a dry, stable environment. Over the following 42 hours, Hurricane Celia's sustained winds decreased to tropical storm force and the system began to stall over the open ocean by June 27. Despite highly unfavorable conditions, the storm managed to retain tropical storm status through June 28 and degenerated into a non-convective remnant low that evening. The remnants of Celia drifted northward, completing a counter-clockwise loop, and dissipated on June 30.
Although Celia remained far away from any populated landmasses, waves from the storm prompted storm advisories along the southern coastline of Mexico. Additionally, its outer bands
brought moderate rainfall to parts of Oaxaca
and Guerrero
. Due to the high intensity and longevity of the hurricane, it significantly contributed to the record-high accumulated cyclone energy
value for June 2010 in the eastern Pacific basin.
(NHC) as a disorganized area of disturbed weather associated with a tropical wave
off the western coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean
. Tracking westward, little development took place and the system eventually crossed Central America
and entered the Pacific Ocean
on June 17. Situated several hundred miles south-southeast of the Gulf of Tehuantepec
, the disturbance moved slowly towards the west-northwest and little development was expected to occur. By June 18, scatterometer
data of the system indicated that a surface circulation
had developed and the system's overall structure had become increasingly organized. Later that day, a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert
was issued for the system as it was now anticipated to become a tropical cyclone
within 48 hours. At this time, convective
banding features
had begun wrapping around the system; however, it lacked deep, central cloud cover. Further development was expected to be slow due to moderate wind shear
in the region of the low. Around 1800 UTC
, the system had become sufficiently organized for the NHC to designate it as a tropical depression. At this time, the depression was situated roughly 370 mi (595 km) southeast of Acapulco
, Mexico
. Operationally, the depression was not warned upon until early the next morning.
Roughly 18 hours after being classified a depression, deep convection wrapped around the center of the system, prompting the NHC to upgrade the depression to a tropical storm, and to give it the name Celia. Satellite overpasses of the storm revealed that Celia had already begun developing an eye-like
feature at the surface, an indication that rapid intensification
may ensue. The storm tracked relatively slowly towards the west-southwest in response to a mid-level ridge
to the north. By the evening of June 19, Celia displayed a well-organized structure with an eye beginning to appear within the storm's central dense overcast. Due to the presence of easterly wind shear, intensification was briefly stalled for several hours; however, at 1800 UTC on June 20, the NHC upgraded Celia to a minimal hurricane as it attained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h). An intermittent eye was seen on visible satellite image throughout the day, but it failed to fully consolidate by the afternoon of June 21, by which time the system appeared to be vertically tilted, having the low-level circulation displaced to the northeast of the mid-level circulation. Only modest strengthening took place during this time as the system's outflow
was being restricted by continuing easterly shear.
Late on June 21, Celia turned due west as it moved around the south side of the ridge previously steering the hurricane to the west-southwest. A secondary eyewall
was noted as it made the turn, indicating that the storm would further intensify once this feature further developed. Several hours later, the storm intensified into a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. After briefly developing a prominent central dense overcast, the storm's structure began to degrade for unknown reasons. By the evening of June 22, Celia was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane and the eye was no longer apparent on satellite imagery, mainly due to cirrus cloud
s over the system. The following morning, the eye reformed and the storm became more vertically aligned, allowing Celia to re-attain Category 2 status. Throughout the day, Celia became increasingly organized and intensified, nearly attaining major hurricane status during the afternoon. Operationally, the hurricane was thought to have reached this intensity but post-storm analysis indicated that winds did not exceed 110 mph (175 km/h).
soon followed as the storm reached Category 4 status, becoming one of only a handful of tropical cyclones to do so during the month of June in the eastern Pacific. That evening, the storm further intensified into a Category 5 hurricane, the second storm to reach this strength during June in the Eastern Pacific basin on record. Hurricane Celia attained its peak intensity around 0000 UTC with sustained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) and a barometric pressure estimated at 921 mbar
(hPa
; 27.2 inHg). The storm also displayed a well-defined eye estimated to be 17 to 23 mi (27.4 to 37 km) in diameter.
During the late morning of June 25, Celia started rapidly weakening as it began to take a more northwesterly track into a more stable environment with cooler water temperatures and higher wind shear; all of these conditions are highly unfavorable for tropical cyclones. By June 26, convection associated with the hurricane had substantially lessened and cloud tops warmed. The storm also began to resume a westward track as it moved into an area of weaker steering currents. Traversing water temperatures estimated at 25 °C (77 °F), Celia continued to degenerate as it weakened to tropical storm status, by which time it was situated about 955 mi (1,535 km) southeast of the southern tip of Baja California Sur
. Most of the convection associated with the system had dissipated and the center of circulation became exposed, with a small area of showers and thunderstorms to the north. Throughout June 27, the system gradually lost its forward momentum over the open water of the Pacific Ocean but managed to maintain minimal tropical storm status longer than initially anticipated.
Intermittent bursts of deep convection kept satellite intensity estimates at 40 mph (65 km/h) through the morning of June 28. After becoming embedded within a low-level westerly flow, the system began to slowly execute a small counter-clockwise loop. That afternoon, Celia degenerated into a non-convective remnant low pressure system; operationally, the system was monitored as a tropical depression for an additional six hours before the final advisory from the NHC was issued. The remnants of Celia continued to drift towards the north before finally dissipating on June 30, about 990 mi (1,590 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California Sur.
and Guerrero
; however, no loss of life or structural damage was reported. Beaches in both states increased the number of lifeguards on duty since the threat of rip current
s would remain high for several days. On June 22, the Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil (National System of Civil Protection) in the Mexican
state of Jalisco
raised the alert level to stage two for coastal areas. People were urged to be cautious about venturing out into coastal waters as the storm produced rough seas near the coast. The alert was later expanded upon to include coastal areas of Michoacán
and Colima
. Although out of the storm's projected path, a precautionary alert was issued for Socorro Island
. However, between June 22 and 23, the outer bands
of the storm brought unsettled weather to France
's Clipperton Island
. Since this island is unpopulated, the NHC did not issue any warnings
for it.
During the evening of June 24, Hurricane Celia intensified into a powerful Category 5 storm, further solidifying it as the strongest of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season. At its peak, the cyclone attained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) along with a minimum pressure of 921 mbar (hPa; 27.2 inHg). This ranks it as the second-strongest June hurricane on record, as well as the eighth-strongest in the basin, and the second known Category 5 to develop during the month on record. The strongest and first known storm of this intensity in June was Hurricane Ava
in 1973
. Additionally, it also marked the first time on record that two consecutive seasons featured Category 5 hurricanes, with Hurricane Rick
in October 2009 reaching this intensity. In the National Hurricane Center's monthly tropical weather summary for June 2010, it was stated that the accumulated cyclone energy
(ACE) for the month was the highest on record, most of which is attributed to Hurricane Celia.
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...
that existed over the open waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean during late June 2010. Forming out of a tropical wave
Tropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
about 370 mi (595 km) southeast of 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...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on June 18, Celia quickly organized as deep convection
Atmospheric convection
Atmospheric convection is the result of a parcel-environment instability, or temperature difference, layer in the atmosphere. Different lapse rates within dry and moist air lead to instability. Mixing of air during the day which expands the height of the planetary boundary layer leads to...
consolidated around the center, attaining hurricane status by June 20. Over the following days, the hurricane's winds fluctuated as 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...
impeded significant development. Once this shear lightened on June 24, 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...
to attain its peak strength with winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) and an estimated barometric pressure of 921 mbar
Bar (unit)
The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar...
(hPa
Pascal (unit)
The pascal is the SI derived unit of pressure, internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus and tensile strength, named after the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It is a measure of force per unit area, defined as one newton per square metre...
; 27.2 inHg). Not long after reaching this strength, wind shear increased and the system entered a dry, stable environment. Over the following 42 hours, Hurricane Celia's sustained winds decreased to tropical storm force and the system began to stall over the open ocean by June 27. Despite highly unfavorable conditions, the storm managed to retain tropical storm status through June 28 and degenerated into a non-convective remnant low that evening. The remnants of Celia drifted northward, completing a counter-clockwise loop, and dissipated on June 30.
Although Celia remained far away from any populated landmasses, waves from the storm prompted storm advisories along the southern coastline of Mexico. Additionally, its outer bands
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...
brought moderate rainfall to parts 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...
and 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....
. Due to the high intensity and longevity of the hurricane, it significantly contributed to the record-high accumulated cyclone energy
Accumulated cyclone energy
Accumulated cyclone energy is a measure used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to express the activity of individual tropical cyclones and entire tropical cyclone seasons, particularly the North Atlantic hurricane season. It uses an approximation of the energy used by a...
value for June 2010 in the eastern Pacific basin.
Origins
The precursor to Hurricane Celia was first identified on June 5, 2010 by the National Hurricane CenterNational 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) as a disorganized area of disturbed weather associated with a tropical wave
Tropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
off the western coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Tracking westward, little development took place and the system eventually crossed 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...
and entered the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
on June 17. Situated several hundred miles south-southeast of the Gulf of Tehuantepec
Gulf of Tehuantepec
Gulf of Tehuantepec is a large body of water on the Pacific coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, southeastern Mexico, at . Most of the hurricanes that form in the Eastern Pacific organize in or near this body of water...
, the disturbance moved slowly towards the west-northwest and little development was expected to occur. By June 18, scatterometer
Scatterometer
A radar scatterometer is designed to determine the normalized radar cross section of the surface. Scatterometers operate by transmitting a pulse of microwave energy towards the Earth's surface and measuring the reflected energy. A separate measurement of the noise-only power is made and...
data of the system indicated that a surface circulation
Low pressure area
A low-pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure at sea level is below that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure systems form under areas of wind divergence which occur in upper levels of the troposphere. The formation process of a low-pressure area is known as...
had developed and the system's overall structure had become increasingly organized. Later that day, a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert
Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert
A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert is a bulletin released by the U.S. Navy-operated Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii or the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Norfolk, Virginia, warning of the possibility of a tropical cyclone forming from a tropical disturbance that has been...
was issued for the system as it was now anticipated to become a tropical cyclone
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...
within 48 hours. At this time, convective
Atmospheric convection
Atmospheric convection is the result of a parcel-environment instability, or temperature difference, layer in the atmosphere. Different lapse rates within dry and moist air lead to instability. Mixing of air during the day which expands the height of the planetary boundary layer leads to...
banding features
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...
had begun wrapping around the system; however, it lacked deep, central cloud cover. Further development was expected to be slow due to moderate 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...
in the region of the low. Around 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...
, the system had become sufficiently organized for the NHC to designate it as a tropical depression. At this time, the depression was situated roughly 370 mi (595 km) southeast of 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...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Operationally, the depression was not warned upon until early the next morning.
Roughly 18 hours after being classified a depression, deep convection wrapped around the center of the system, prompting the NHC to upgrade the depression to a tropical storm, and to give it the name Celia. Satellite overpasses of the storm revealed that Celia had already begun developing an eye-like
Eye (cyclone)
The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30–65 km in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the second most severe weather of a cyclone...
feature at the surface, an indication that rapid intensification
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...
may ensue. The storm tracked relatively slowly towards the west-southwest in response to a mid-level ridge
Ridge (meteorology)
A ridge is an elongated region of relatively high atmospheric pressure, the opposite of a trough....
to the north. By the evening of June 19, Celia displayed a well-organized structure with an eye beginning to appear within the storm's central dense overcast. Due to the presence of easterly wind shear, intensification was briefly stalled for several hours; however, at 1800 UTC on June 20, the NHC upgraded Celia to a minimal hurricane as it attained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h). An intermittent eye was seen on visible satellite image throughout the day, but it failed to fully consolidate by the afternoon of June 21, by which time the system appeared to be vertically tilted, having the low-level circulation displaced to the northeast of the mid-level circulation. Only modest strengthening took place during this time as the system's 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...
was being restricted by continuing easterly shear.
Late on June 21, Celia turned due west as it moved around the south side of the ridge previously steering the hurricane to the west-southwest. A secondary eyewall
Eye (cyclone)
The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30–65 km in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the second most severe weather of a cyclone...
was noted as it made the turn, indicating that the storm would further intensify once this feature further developed. Several hours later, the storm intensified into a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. After briefly developing a prominent central dense overcast, the storm's structure began to degrade for unknown reasons. By the evening of June 22, Celia was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane and the eye was no longer apparent on satellite imagery, mainly due to cirrus cloud
Cirrus cloud
Cirrus clouds are atmospheric clouds generally characterized by thin, wispy strands, giving them their name from the Latin word cirrus meaning a ringlet or curling lock of hair...
s over the system. The following morning, the eye reformed and the storm became more vertically aligned, allowing Celia to re-attain Category 2 status. Throughout the day, Celia became increasingly organized and intensified, nearly attaining major hurricane status during the afternoon. Operationally, the hurricane was thought to have reached this intensity but post-storm analysis indicated that winds did not exceed 110 mph (175 km/h).
Peak intensity and dissipation
Although there were no factors inhibiting the development of Celia, the storm unexpectedly weakened again later on June 23. The storm's eye rapidly dissipated and the central dense overcast became asymmetric. Forecaster Todd Kimberlain at the NHC referred to the unexplained shifts in strength as "puzzling." However, as suddenly as the weakening took place, strengthening ensued. Very strong convection formed over the center of the storm, with some cloud tops being as cold as -86 C but no eye had reformed by the morning of June 24. Throughout the day, Celia became increasingly organized, with the eye fully reforming and the structure becoming more symmetrical. Rapid intensificationRapid 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...
soon followed as the storm reached Category 4 status, becoming one of only a handful of tropical cyclones to do so during the month of June in the eastern Pacific. That evening, the storm further intensified into a Category 5 hurricane, the second storm to reach this strength during June in the Eastern Pacific basin on record. Hurricane Celia attained its peak intensity around 0000 UTC with sustained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) and a barometric pressure estimated at 921 mbar
Bar (unit)
The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar...
(hPa
Pascal (unit)
The pascal is the SI derived unit of pressure, internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus and tensile strength, named after the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It is a measure of force per unit area, defined as one newton per square metre...
; 27.2 inHg). The storm also displayed a well-defined eye estimated to be 17 to 23 mi (27.4 to 37 km) in diameter.
During the late morning of June 25, Celia started rapidly weakening as it began to take a more northwesterly track into a more stable environment with cooler water temperatures and higher wind shear; all of these conditions are highly unfavorable for tropical cyclones. By June 26, convection associated with the hurricane had substantially lessened and cloud tops warmed. The storm also began to resume a westward track as it moved into an area of weaker steering currents. Traversing water temperatures estimated at 25 °C (77 °F), Celia continued to degenerate as it weakened to tropical storm status, by which time it was situated about 955 mi (1,535 km) southeast of the southern tip of Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises...
. Most of the convection associated with the system had dissipated and the center of circulation became exposed, with a small area of showers and thunderstorms to the north. Throughout June 27, the system gradually lost its forward momentum over the open water of the Pacific Ocean but managed to maintain minimal tropical storm status longer than initially anticipated.
Intermittent bursts of deep convection kept satellite intensity estimates at 40 mph (65 km/h) through the morning of June 28. After becoming embedded within a low-level westerly flow, the system began to slowly execute a small counter-clockwise loop. That afternoon, Celia degenerated into a non-convective remnant low pressure system; operationally, the system was monitored as a tropical depression for an additional six hours before the final advisory from the NHC was issued. The remnants of Celia continued to drift towards the north before finally dissipating on June 30, about 990 mi (1,590 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California Sur.
Impact and records
Throughout the hurricane's track, it posed little to no threat to any major landmasses or populated islands. During Celia's early development stages, it brought moderate rainfall to parts of OaxacaOaxaca
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 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....
; however, no loss of life or structural damage was reported. Beaches in both states increased the number of lifeguards on duty since the threat of rip current
Rip current
A rip current, commonly referred to by the misnomer rip tide, is a strong channel of water flowing seaward from near the shore, typically through the surf line. Typical flow is at 0.5 metres per second , and can be as fast as 2.5 metres per second...
s would remain high for several days. On June 22, the Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil (National System of Civil Protection) in the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Jalisco
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
raised the alert level to stage two for coastal areas. People were urged to be cautious about venturing out into coastal waters as the storm produced rough seas near the coast. The alert was later expanded upon to include coastal areas of Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
and Colima
Colima
Colima is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima....
. Although out of the storm's projected path, a precautionary alert was issued for Socorro Island
Socorro Island
Socorro Island is a small volcanic island in the Revillagigedo Islands, a Mexican possession lying some 600 kilometers off the country's western coast at 18°48'N, 110°59'W. The size is 16.5 by 11.5 km, with an area of 132 km².- Geology :...
. However, between June 22 and 23, the outer bands
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...
of the storm brought unsettled weather to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's Clipperton Island
Clipperton Island
Clipperton Island is an uninhabited nine-square-kilometre coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean, southwest of Mexico and west of Central America, at...
. Since this island is unpopulated, the NHC did not issue any warnings
Tropical 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...
for it.
During the evening of June 24, Hurricane Celia intensified into a powerful Category 5 storm, further solidifying it as the strongest of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season. At its peak, the cyclone attained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) along with a minimum pressure of 921 mbar (hPa; 27.2 inHg). This ranks it as the second-strongest June hurricane on record, as well as the eighth-strongest in the basin, and the second known Category 5 to develop during the month on record. The strongest and first known storm of this intensity in June was Hurricane Ava
Hurricane Ava (1973)
Hurricane Ava was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. It was the first named storm of the 1973 Pacific hurricane season. Forming in early June, Hurricane Ava eventually reached Category 5 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, the...
in 1973
1973 Pacific hurricane season
The 1973 Pacific hurricane season was an event in tropical cyclone meteorology. The most important system this year was Hurricane Ava, which was the most intense Pacific hurricane known at the time. Several other much weaker tropical cyclones came close to, or made landfall on, the Pacific coast of...
. Additionally, it also marked the first time on record that two consecutive seasons featured Category 5 hurricanes, with Hurricane Rick
Hurricane Rick (2009)
Hurricane Rick was the second-most intense Pacific hurricane on record and the strongest ever to form during October. Developing south of Mexico on October 15, 2009, Hurricane Rick traversed an area favoring rapid intensification, allowing it to become a hurricane within 24 hours of being...
in October 2009 reaching this intensity. In the National Hurricane Center's monthly tropical weather summary for June 2010, it was stated that the accumulated cyclone energy
Accumulated cyclone energy
Accumulated cyclone energy is a measure used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to express the activity of individual tropical cyclones and entire tropical cyclone seasons, particularly the North Atlantic hurricane season. It uses an approximation of the energy used by a...
(ACE) for the month was the highest on record, most of which is attributed to Hurricane Celia.
See also
- Other tropical cyclones named CeliaHurricane Celia (disambiguation)The name Celia has been used for one tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Ocean, and six tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. It was used in the Atlantic before the formal naming system was instituted; though it was retired following the 1970 storm, it remains on the Eastern Pacific...
- Timeline of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season