Tropical storms Amanda and Cristobal

Tropical storms Amanda and Cristobal

Tropical Storms Amanda (left) and Cristobal (right) near their peak intensities on May 31 and June 3 respectively
Meteorological history
as Tropical Storm Amanda
Formed	May 30, 2020
Dissipated	May 31, 2020
Tropical storm
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds	40 mph (65 km/h)
Lowest pressure	1003 mbar (hPa); 29.62 inHg
Meteorological history
as Tropical Storm Cristobal
Formed	June 1, 2020
Extratropical	June 9, 2020
Dissipated	June 12, 2020
Tropical storm
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds	60 mph (95 km/h)
Lowest pressure	988 mbar (hPa); 29.18 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities	46 total
Damage	≥$865 million (2020 USD)
Areas affected	Central America (especially Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras), Mexico, Central United States, Great Lakes Region, Eastern Canada
IBTrACS: Amanada, Cristobal
Part of the 2020 Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons

Tropical Storm Amanda and Tropical Storm Cristobal were two related, consecutive tropical storms that affected Central America, southern Mexico, the Central United States, and Canada in late May and early June 2020. The first tropical cyclone formed in the East Pacific and was named Amanda. After crossing Central America, it regenerated into a second one in the Gulf of Mexico and was named Cristobal. Amanda was the second tropical depression and the first named storm of the 2020 Pacific hurricane season, and Cristobal was the third named storm of the extremely active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, and the earliest third named storm in the North Atlantic Ocean on record.^[a] Cristobal's regeneration date in the North Atlantic eclipsed the date set by Tropical Storm Colin in 2016, which formed on June 5. It was also the first Atlantic tropical storm formed in the month of June since Cindy in 2017, and the first June tropical cyclone to make landfall in Mexico since Danielle in 2016.

Amanda developed out of a broad area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave, which moved off the coast of Nicaragua into the Pacific on May 29. The disturbance slowly developed a more well-defined circulation, and on May 30, the system was designated as Tropical Depression Two-E after finishing tropical cyclogenesis. Originally expected not to strengthen significantly, the storm nevertheless compacted and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Amanda at 09:00 UTC the next day. Three hours later, Amanda made landfall in southeast Guatemala. Once inland, Amanda rapidly weakened and degenerated into a remnant low over the region's rough terrain. However, the system's remnants survived, crossing Central America and Mexico.

On June 1, the system regenerated into Tropical Storm Cristobal over the Bay of Campeche. Cristobal then made landfall in the Mexican state of Campeche on the Yucatán peninsula at 13:35 UTC on June 3, 2020, with 1-minute sustained winds of 60 mph (97 km/h),^[b] causing torrential rainfall throughout the region. The storm slowly curved northward over Mexico and moved over the Gulf of Mexico, making a second landfall over southeastern Louisiana at 22:10 UTC on June 7. The system progressed north through the Mississippi Valley, managing to survive over land as a tropical depression, before finally becoming extratropical over southern Wisconsin at 03:00 UTC on June 10. Cristobal's extratropical remnant then moved north past Lake Superior and then over James Bay, before dissipating on June 12. The remnant moisture was subsequently absorbed into another system, which headed northeastward towards the Labrador Sea.

Tropical Storm Amanda produced torrential rainfall across Guatemala and severely impacted El Salvador, causing the worst natural disaster in the country since Hurricane Mitch in 1998; rivers overflowed and swept away buildings, damaging 900 homes and displacing over 1,200 people. Heavy rains also caused minor to moderate flooding in Mexico and Belize. Five people were killed in Honduras. Overall, Amanda resulted in an estimated $200 million in damage and killed 40 people in three countries.^[2] Combined with Amanda, Cristobal led to nearly a week of devastating rainfall across Guatemala, El Salvador, and southern Mexico. Combined rainfall from Amanda and Cristobal totaled well over 15 inches (38 cm) of rain in some places, peaking at 26.48 inches (67.3 cm) in Jutiapa, Guatemala. Over 230,000 acres of crops were damaged in the Mexican state of Yucatán, leading to a damage estimate of US$184 million in Mexico. In the United States, Cristobal spawned multiple tornadoes and waterspouts along the Gulf Coast and the Midwest. Altogether, Cristobal caused at least US$665 million in damage and 6 fatalities. Throughout their entire lifespan, the cyclones killed 46 people and caused $865 million (2020 USD) in damages.^[3]

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