![]() Tropical Storm Agatha near peak intensity off the coast of Guatemala on May 29. | |
Meteorological history | |
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Formed | May 29, 2010 |
Remnant low | May 31, 2010 |
Dissipated | June 1, 2010 |
Tropical storm | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 45 mph (75 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 1001 mbar (hPa); 29.56 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 204 |
Damage | $1.1 billion (2010 USD) (Fifth-costliest in the East Pacific on record) |
Areas affected | Southwestern Mexico and Central America; especially Guatemala |
IBTrACS / [1] | |
Part of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season |
Tropical Storm Agatha was a weak but deadly tropical cyclone that brought widespread floods to much of Central America, and was the deadliest storm in the eastern Pacific tropical cyclone basin since Hurricane Pauline in 1997. The first named storm of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season, Agatha originated from the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a region of thunderstorms across the tropics. It developed into a tropical depression on May 29 and tropical storm later, it was dissipated on May 30, reaching top winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and a lowest pressure of 1000 mbar (hPa; 29.53 inHg). It made landfall near the Guatemala–Mexico border on the evening of May 29. Agatha produced torrential rain all across Central America, which resulted in the death of one person in Nicaragua. In Guatemala, 152 people were killed and 100 left missing by landslides. Thirteen deaths also occurred in El Salvador. Agatha soon dissipated over Guatemala. As of June 15, officials in Guatemala have stated that 165 people were killed and 113 others are missing.
In all, Agatha caused at least 204 fatalities, and roughly $1.1 billion in damage throughout Central America.[1][2][3] Despite the catastrophic damage in Mexico, along with a high fatality rate, Agatha was not retired, and therefore was used again in the 2016 season.