Explore the chronology of storm systems recorded in the Tampico metropolitan area from 1863 to 2017
In the south of Tamaulipas there is a rumor that an extraterrestrial base stationed on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico prevents the arrival of hurricanes to the metropolitan area. However, from 1863 to 2017, about 22 hurricanes, 20 tropical storms and 13 tropical depressions have “passed” in Puerto Jaibo. Are you interested in knowing the history of these natural phenomena?
The first record of a hurricane in Tampico kept by the Historical Hurricane Tracks dates back to August 1878, when in the Atlantic Ocean an “unnamed” whirlwind had a wind speed close to 126 km/h. h. However, upon landing the gusts decreased to 55 km/h.
1933: the year Tampico succumbed to the water
The Historical Hurricane Tracks is a free consultation platform published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA).
In October 1892 and August 1903, respectively, two hurricanes without a name entered Tampico. In both cases the blizzard decreased considerably, from presenting speed rates in the Atlantic of between 157 km/h and 194 km/h, in the northeast of Mexico the needle marked close to 65 km/h.
In 1933, three hurricanes were reported in the area. The first in June and two in September. The last one being the deadliest of all, at the time the “New York Times” announced that the Mexican port was in ruins, with the Pánuco and Tamesí rivers overflowing. The material losses were estimated between 10 to 12 million at the time.
According to NOAA, when the storm system “anchored” in Tampico, on September 15, 1933, it did so with a gale of about 175 km/h.
There was no other hurricane warning until August 1934, then in August 1936 and again in August 1947, but these natural phenomena did not cause major damage.
Charlie and Hilda arrive in Tampico
During the 1951 cyclone season, Charlie stood out. When it entered the south of Tamaulipas it was category three, with winds of 185 km/h, losing strength in San Luis Potosí.
At the beginning of September 1955, it would be Gladys’s turn, which entered through Aldama as category one and traveled to the south where she disintegrated. When she crossed Tampico she did so accompanied by a 74 km/h breeze.
However, after Gladys, Mexico would know Hilda’s strength. After passing Quintana Roo and Yucatán, she entered Tampico in the early morning of September 19, 1955, as a category three, with gusts of 194 km/h. At dawn, this publishing house reported that more than ten thousand people were taking refuge in public buildings.
Almost a year later, in July 1956, with the region barely rebuilding, the arrival of “Anna” was feared, which diverted its route, making landfall in the neighboring state of Veracruz, as category one.
Rumors of alien beings in the mid-60s
It is believed that the myth of an extraterrestrial base guarding the Tampico metropolitan area arose in September 1966, when it was feared that Inez would visit the region. It is said that the fishermen sought solace in the Virgin of Carmen (a figure of the Catholic religion); while another part of the population, perhaps when contemplating the immensity of the sky, began to talk about special beings.
NOAA tracking of the meteorological phenomenon indicates that Inez formed in South America. It hit the “Guadalupe” archipelago as a category three and winds of 200 km/h. It gained strength until it became category five and crossed the limits of the Dominican Republic. Although its power decreased, when it arrived in Haiti and Santiago de Cuba it was category three again.
When it crossed the island of Cuba, it looked like it was going to disintegrate, but it re-emerged in the Atlantic as a category two. In the Gulf of Mexico it became a category four and when it was expected to enter Tampico, it changed its course several kilometers to the north. When it made landfall in Tamaulipas it was category three, it crossed San Luis Potosí, until it reached Guanajuato.
A similar situation occurred with Beulah in September 1967, off the Tamaulipas coast, it was a category three, before diverting to the south of the United States.
From that moment on, hurricanes “evade” Puerto Jaibo. Such is the case of Fern in 1967; Cosimo in 1989; Dolly in 1996; Keith in 2000; and Katia in 2017.
The explanation that various experts give for the fact that hurricanes do not reach the metropolitan area of Tampico is that the orographic characteristics of the region, including the change in temperature between the water on the Tamaulipas coast and the rest of the Atlantic, make it unlikely. the entry of hurricanes. However, there are those who claim “It’s the aliens, they divert them.”
Source: elsoldetampico
