Juliette (2019)

A tropical wave that crossed Central America late in August organized into Tropical Storm Juliette at 0000 UTC on 1 September 2019 about 415 nautical miles south‑southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. Steered northwest by a ridge, Juliette moved generally northwest over the eastern North Pacific from 1–7 September. The storm underwent rapid strengthening beginning 2 September, became a hurricane by 1200 UTC 2 September, reached its peak on 3 September near Clarion Island, and then weakened as it moved over cooler water and into drier air, becoming post‑tropical by 0600 UTC 7 September well west of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.

Juliette passed over Clarion Island near its peak intensity on 3 September, but there were no reported mainland landfalls. No coastal watches or warnings were issued for Mexico because the hurricane stayed well offshore of the Mexican mainland and the Baja California peninsula.

The hurricane’s maximum sustained winds peaked at 110 knots (125 mph) at 1200 UTC 3 September, making Juliette a Category 3 major hurricane. The best‑track minimum central pressure at that time was 953 mb. Observations on Clarion Island recorded a peak sustained wind of 86 knots and a gust to 113 knots; the island station reported a minimum pressure of 958.1 mb, though those pressure values are believed to run about 4–5 mb too low.

There were no reports of storm surge impacts associated with Juliette on the Mexican coast, and no significant rainfall totals or flooding impacts were reported for mainland communities. Observations and warnings were limited to offshore and Clarion Island measurements; the report does not list storm surge heights or notable rainfall totals for named cities or counties on the mainland.

No damage or casualties were reported in association with Juliette. The storm’s rapid formation was not well anticipated in the Tropical Weather Outlooks more than about a day in advance, and some models did not show the quick development until the system was already organizing. Official track forecasts were relatively good at short lead times but had larger errors at longer lead times, while the official intensity forecasts performed well compared with guidance.