Tropical Storm Barry (2013)

Storm Active: June 17-20

A tropical wave located off the eastern coast of Nicaragua began to show signs of organization on June 15. On June 16, a swirling of clouds became evident on satellite imagery, though a surface circulation had not yet formed and, in any case, the proximity of the developing circulation to central America limited thunderstorm activity.

However, the disturbance emerged into the northwest Caribbean on June 17, and late that morning, a low-level circulation appeared and the system was upgraded to Tropical Depression Two only 60 miles east of the coast of Belize. Later that day, the depression made landfall in Belize at an intensity of 35 mph winds and a pressure of 1008 mb, bringing heavy rainfall to the region.

The depression weakened over land, and lost definition, but the system continued to move west-northwest, and the northern half of the circulation regained convection as the northwestern portion emerged into the Bay of Campeche early on June 18. A ridge situated over the northern Gulf of Mexico weakened slightly that day, allowing the cyclone to shift north slightly in its path. As a result, the center entered the Bay of Campeche during the afternoon of that day, and thunderstorm activity soon recovered near the center.

Though moderate wind shear still affected the depression out of the southwest, the shear began to weaken during the morning of June 19, as the system made a turn westward toward the Mexican coast. This allowed the thunderstorm activity to increase markedly, and the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Barry that afternoon. The system continued to gain organization through the early morning of June 20, reaching its peak intensity of 45 mph winds and a pressure of 1003 mb before making its final landfall in Mexico later that morning.

The system quickly weakened over land, becoming a tropical depression that evening, and degenerating into a remnant low late that night. Barry main effect was heavy rainfall; the tropical storm dumped several inches of rain over a large swath of southern Mexico, with localized totals-especially in mountainous regions-exceeding 5 inches.

Tropical Storm Barry achieved its peak intensity as a weak tropical storm shortly before its second landfall in Mexico.

A combination of a slow forward speed and extensive moisture from the Bay of Campeche made Barry a significant flooding threat near the end of its life.