Terry (2021)

A low pressure area formed from a tropical wave that moved off Central America and into the eastern North Pacific on 2 November 2021. A well-defined surface center was present that day and a tropical depression is estimated to have formed by 0600 UTC 4 November about 200 nautical miles west of the coast of Costa Rica. The system moved generally west to west-northwest at low latitude, briefly strengthened into Tropical Storm Terry at 1200 UTC 7 November when it was about 520 n mi south of Acapulco, Mexico, held that strength through 0600 UTC 8 November, then weakened to a depression later on 8 November and dissipated as a trough by 1200 UTC 10 November about 770 n mi south-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.

Terry did not make landfall. It remained well offshore of Central America and Mexico for its entire life and produced no coastal watches or warnings.

The storm’s peak sustained wind was 35 knots (40 mph) and the best-track minimum central pressure at peak was 1006 mb. Those values correspond to a minimal tropical storm, and Terry’s peak intensity was brief, from about 1200 UTC 7 November to 0600 UTC 8 November.

There were no reports of storm surge or measurable impacts on land associated with Terry. Because the cyclone stayed offshore, there were no coastal surge observations tied to the system. Likewise, there were no significant rainfall reports or totals attributed to Terry in the NHC record for cities or counties along the Mexican or Central American coasts.

No casualties or damage were reported in connection with Terry. The storm had little impact because it remained over open water and never approached populated shorelines.

Noteworthy points: Terry formed sooner than many forecasts had anticipated; the first NHC outlooks gave only a low chance of formation about two days before genesis. Forecast track and intensity performance was mixed—official intensity forecasts generally had a smaller error than typical guidance for much of the short range, while track errors were below recent averages at 12–24 hours but larger at longer lead times.