Beatriz (2005)

A compact tropical cyclone formed from the merger of a tropical wave and a disturbance over southeastern Mexico. A tropical depression developed by 1800 UTC 21 June 2005 about 240 nautical miles south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. The system moved west-northwest, became Tropical Storm Beatriz at 1200 UTC 22 June, reached its peak on 0000 UTC 23 June, then crossed cooler waters and weakened to a remnant low by 0600 UTC 24 June. The remnant circulation drifted southward and dissipated by 1200 UTC 26 June.

Beatriz remained well offshore and did not make any landfalls. It tracked generally west-northwest to west away from the Mexican coast and never threatened populated areas closely enough to require watches or warnings.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds peaked at 45 knots (about 52 mph), and its minimum central pressure at the time of peak intensity was 1000 mb. These values correspond to a moderate tropical storm, not a hurricane.

Because Beatriz stayed at sea, there were no measured storm surge reports and no inland rainfall totals tied to the cyclone in the report. The only notable surface observation was a ship (9VVN) reporting 30-knot winds in Beatriz’s southwestern quadrant on 22 June.

There were no reports of damage or casualties—no direct or indirect deaths—and no impacts to coastal communities. The storm was short-lived and produced only modest amounts of convection during its life.

One noteworthy point in the analysis was that early satellite intensity estimates were too high because of errors in locating the storm center; after reviewing microwave and scatterometer data, the best-track peak was set to 45 kt. Forecast track errors for Beatriz were smaller than the recent 10-year averages, and no warnings were required.