Hurricane Norma: will the storm reach the United States? Trajectory and projections
Hurricane Norma has become the danger of the season in the Eastern Pacific. It is expected to make landfall in Mexico before passing through the United States.
What seemed to be a small and timid storm is beginning to take on Dantesque overtones worthy of a Lovecraft novel. According to the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC), Tropical Storm Norma powered up to become a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday, which is threatening to hit Cabo San Lucas in Baja California, Mexico. The alert issued by the NHC indicates that the hurricane could affect the tourist resort area before moving toward the mainland possible making landfall in the vicinity of Culiacán.
On Tuesday, Norma became a named tropical storm. It’s winds have now intensified to reach speeds of 130 mph. According to the Mexican Meteorological Service (SMN), models predict that Hurricane Norma, currently a Category 4, will touch the tip of Baja California as a Category 1 storm on Sunday before turning toward the mainland at the same time losing more intesity, degrading down to a tropical storm.
The Mexican government has already issued an alert that will affect all municipalities between Todos Santos and Los Barriles. The peak of the hurricane will be seen at the end of the week with precipitation of “5 to 10 inches with local maximums of 15 inches through Sunday across the country.”
Will it touch the United States?
Norma is expected to arrive in the United States when the worst is over. According to the company AccuWeather, specialized in weather forecasts, the southern portions of states such as Texas, California or Nevada could be affected by the remnants of the tropical storm. In a worst-case scenario, widespread rainfall of “2 to 4 inches of water with local amounts near and slightly above 6 inches” would be expected.
Be that as it may, Norma’s rains may bring relief to an area greatly affected by the climate crisis. Depending on the storm’s path as it heads north, and the amount of moisture it deposits, it could help alleviate the record-low water levels on the Mississippi River. The flow of this central transport artery has decreased drastically, reaching historic levels for a second consecutive year, which is very unusual as normally this happens only once every ten years, hampering barge trade during the prime season.