A tropical wave that moved off West Africa on 23 September crossed Central America and developed into a broad low a few hundred miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico on 9 October. A well-defined center formed and a tropical depression developed at 1800 UTC 11 October about 350 nautical miles south‑southeast of the southern tip of Baja California. The system strengthened to Tropical Storm Patricia about six hours later and moved generally north‑northwestward. Patricia reached peak strength on 12–13 October and then weakened rapidly; it became a remnant low by 0600 UTC 14 October and dissipated over the eastern North Pacific by 15–16 October.
Patricia did not make a landfall on the Baja California peninsula. Tropical storm watches and warnings were issued for portions of southern Baja California (including areas from La Paz to Santa Fe and Buenavista to Agua Blanca), but Patricia weakened before reaching the coast and warnings were discontinued by 0600 UTC 14 October.
Maximum sustained winds peaked at 50 knots (about 58 mph) and the minimum central pressure was 996 mb, corresponding to a moderate tropical storm (well below hurricane strength). The storm maintained that peak of 50 kt from about 1200 UTC 12 October until 0600 UTC 13 October.
There were no reports of storm surge associated with Patricia, and no land or ship observations of tropical‑storm‑force winds along the Mexican coast. The report did not list any significant rainfall totals at specific cities or counties tied to Patricia, and no notable surge heights or heavy-rain observations were reported in the NHC record.
There were no reports of damage or casualties—no direct or indirect deaths were attributed to Patricia. The storm’s most notable aspects in the report were its formation from a long‑tracked African wave, its modest peak intensity well south of Baja California, and its quick weakening before landfall. Forecasting of Patricia’s genesis was successful, and official track and intensity forecast errors were comparable to recent means for similar cases.
Paid members can generate summaries tailored to the counties of their choice. The Patricia TCR covers impacts across many counties and states — a Pinellas County resident doesn't need the Asheville detail, and a Buncombe County resident doesn't need the Tampa surge data.
Upgrade for county-specific summariesSummary above produced from the National Hurricane Center's official post-storm Tropical Cyclone Report. Read the full report for casualty lists, damage estimates by area, forecast critique, and detailed meteorological discussion:
📄 Read NHC's full report on Patricia → (opens at nhc.noaa.gov)| Time (UTC) | Status | Lat | Lon | Winds (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10-11 18:00 | TD | 17.10 | -108.20 | 30 | 1005 | |
| 2009-10-12 00:00 | TS | 17.70 | -108.70 | 35 | 1003 | |
| 2009-10-12 06:00 | TS | 18.30 | -109.20 | 40 | 1001 | |
| 2009-10-12 12:00 | TS | 18.80 | -109.50 | 50 | 997 | |
| 2009-10-12 18:00 | TS | 19.30 | -109.50 | 50 | 997 | |
| 2009-10-13 00:00 | TS | 19.80 | -109.40 | 50 | 996 | |
| 2009-10-13 06:00 | TS | 20.40 | -109.20 | 50 | 997 | |
| 2009-10-13 12:00 | TS | 21.10 | -109.00 | 45 | 1000 | |
| 2009-10-13 18:00 | TS | 21.90 | -108.90 | 40 | 1002 | |
| 2009-10-14 00:00 | TS | 22.40 | -109.10 | 35 | 1004 | |
| 2009-10-14 06:00 | LO | 22.60 | -109.50 | 30 | 1006 | |
| 2009-10-14 12:00 | LO | 22.70 | -110.20 | 25 | 1008 | |
| 2009-10-14 18:00 | LO | 22.80 | -111.20 | 25 | 1008 | |
| 2009-10-15 00:00 | LO | 22.70 | -111.90 | 20 | 1009 | |
| 2009-10-15 06:00 | LO | 22.50 | -112.50 | 20 | 1009 | |
| 2009-10-15 12:00 | LO | 22.30 | -112.90 | 20 | 1009 |
Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 best-track database (nhc.noaa.gov/data). Data is in the public domain. Best-track positions and intensities are post-storm reanalysis estimates and may differ from real-time advisories.