Grace becomes first major 2021 hurricane

Damage from Hurricane Grace, Tecolutla, Veracruz, Mexico, 21 Aug 2021 (Reuters/Yahir Ceballos)

At least eight people were killed and several others are missing according to several reports after Hurricane Grace severely impacted Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and the state of Veracruz.

Tracking westward across the Caribbean, Grace transitioned between a tropical depression and a storm as it made landfall in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica while also brushing Haiti disrupting earthquake relief efforts.

Grace strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane before hitting the Yucatan Peninsula near Tulum and then weakened over land.

Grace rapidly intensified moving across the Bay of Campeche and slammed northern Veracruz state as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 205 km/h.

Forecasters say the major hurricane was quickly downgraded over Mexico’s mountainous terrain but strong winds and heavy rain caused flash flooding and mudslides.

Number three: Claudette

After originating in the Bay of Campeche, Claudette became the third named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season and made its way across the Gulf of Mexico to make landfall as a tropical storm in Louisiana Saturday morning.

Claudette weakened to a tropical depression as it moved across the southeastern United States but not before producing gusty winds, heavy rain, flash flooding and tornadoes killing at least a dozen people.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre expects Claudette to strengthen back into a tropical storm as it enters the Atlantic Ocean and makes its way up the U.S. Eastern Seaboard toward Atlantic Canada.

Claudette is expected to remain off the coast of Nova Scotia but could bring heavy rain and windy conditions to the province and eastern Newfoundland by late Tuesday.

Earl to impact Central America

Hurricane Earl – the fifth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season – with sustained winds of 120 km/h is racing toward Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

Forecasters say parts of Belize could be hit with heavy rain which could top 300 mm with possible flooding and mudslides over mountainous areas.

Earl is expected to weaken over land and possibly strengthen when it reaches the Bay of Campeche with another landfall near Veracruz, Mexico expected.

Manuel and Ingrid prove deadly in Mexico

A car buried in mud after flooding in Chilpancingo, Mexico, 19 Sept 2013 (AP)

The rare one-two punch from Hurricane Manuel and Hurricane Ingrid have left a death toll of more than 100 people in Mexico according to the Reuters news agency.

Manuel has broken down and is now simply a low pressure system heading for Texas, USA which is actually welcome news for the drought-stricken state.

However, it brought astounding rainfall amounts of between 200 and 300 mm which caused widespread flooding and mudslides over mountainous terrain.

The Pacific coast resort cities of Acapulco and Mazatlan were among the hardest hit regions of the country and the cleanup is now underway.

Ingrid began strengthening in the Bay of Campeche after crossing the Yucatan Peninsula and slammed communities along the Gulf of Mexico as a strong tropical storm.