Norbert (2014)

A broad low formed a few hundred miles southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, on 2 September 2014 and became Tropical Storm Norbert that same day about 180 nautical miles south‑southwest of Cabo Corrientes. The storm moved north then northwest, running roughly parallel to the west coast of mainland Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula. Norbert strengthened to a hurricane on 4 September, underwent rapid intensification early on 6 September, reached peak strength that morning, then weakened as it moved over cooler waters and into a dry environment. The system became a remnant low by 00:00 UTC 8 September and dissipated by 06:00 UTC 11 September.

Norbert did not make a direct landfall as a major hurricane; its center remained over the eastern Pacific while its outer bands and surf affected coastal areas. Tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings were issued for portions of Baja California Sur (including areas from Santa Fe to Cabo San Lázaro, Punta Eugenia, Punta Abreojos, La Paz, Loreto, and surrounding locations) from 2–7 September as the storm approached and moved northwestward along the coast.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds peaked at 110 knots (125 mph) with a minimum central pressure of 950 mb at 0600 UTC 6 September, corresponding to a Category 3 major hurricane on the Saffir‑Simpson scale. Aircraft reconnaissance and satellite analyses supported the peak estimate; a 30‑nmi diameter eye was reported by the reconnaissance flight on 5 September.

High surf and heavy rainfall produced notable coastal impacts. Reported wave and surge effects broke a seawall and flooded the fishing village of Puerto San Carlos (Baja California Sur), and waves destroyed part of the seawall in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. Rainfall totals included large accumulations across western Mexico and the Baja peninsula; for example, Phoenix, Arizona (impacted by moisture from Norbert and Tropical Storm Dolly) received 3.29 inches of rain in seven hours. (The NHC report shows rain‑total maps from CONAGUA with higher totals across parts of Baja California Sur and mainland western Mexico.)

Media reports attribute three fatalities in Mexico to Norbert when people were swept away by swollen creeks on the Baja California peninsula. More than 1,000 homes were reported damaged by heavy rains and high surf. The most affected regions were coastal communities of Baja California Sur (including Puerto San Carlos and areas near Cabo San Lázaro, La Paz, Punta Eugenia, Punta Abreojos) and parts of mainland western Mexico such as Mazatlán, Sinaloa.

Noteworthy points include that Norbert was the sixth major hurricane of the 2014 eastern North Pacific season and that its rapid intensification on 5–6 September was unexpected given the increasingly dry and stable environment; intensity forecasts underestimated this strengthening. Track forecasts for Norbert were generally accurate and had lower-than-average errors compared with recent years, while intensity forecasts showed larger errors than typical, especially because of the abrupt peak in strength.