Douglas (2014)

A tropical depression formed about 300 nautical miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico on 28 June 2014 after a tropical wave moved across Central America. The system strengthened into Tropical Storm Douglas on 30 June and moved generally west-northwest then northwest and north-northwest over the next several days. Douglas reached peak strength early on 1 July about 400 nautical miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas, then weakened as it moved over cooler water and drier air. The circulation lost deep convection on 5 July and became a remnant low before dissipating over the central Pacific on 9 July.

Douglas did not make landfall. The center of the storm stayed well offshore of southwestern Mexico for its entire life, and no watches or warnings were issued.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds peaked at 45 knots (about 52 mph), and the lowest central pressure was estimated at 999 millibars. At peak it was a moderate tropical storm and never reached hurricane strength.

Because Douglas remained far offshore, storm surge impacts were not reported. There were also no reports of notable rainfall totals tied directly to the storm in populated locations in the official report; observations relied on satellites and remote sensing rather than coastal gauges or ship reports of tropical-storm-force winds.

There were no reported deaths or damage associated with Douglas. The system produced no confirmed casualties and no reported property destruction in Mexico or elsewhere.

Forecasting notes: the long-range possibility of circulation development was anticipated several days in advance, though the short-term genesis probability increased rapidly only within hours of formation. Official track forecasts were generally accurate at short lead times and had a westward bias at longer ranges; intensity forecasts performed well overall because Douglas did not undergo rapid or large changes in strength.