Observations
Few surface observations were taken during the passage of the hurricane, though officials reported that southern Mexico experienced the brunt of the storm. Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, near where Pauline made landfall, reported a peak wind gust of 70 mph (115 km/h) several hours before the hurricane moved through the area; no reports were available after that time. An anemometer in Acapulco reported a wind gust of 59 mph (95 km/h) with sustained winds of 46 mph (75 km/h). However, officials estimate Pauline might have been a hurricane while passing through the area. The hurricane produced very heavy rainfall along its path, with many areas receiving more than 15 inches (381 mm). According to the Comision Nacional del Agua, precipitation was recorded at 2,132 sites. The two highest reported rainfall totals are 27.1 inches (688 mm) at San Luis Actlan, and 32.62 inches (930 mm) at Puente Jula, near Paso Overjas. This made Pauline the wettest tropical cyclone in the history of Guerrero. In Acapulco, the hurricane dropped 16.9 in (430 mm) of rainfall in 24 hours. This broke the city precipitation record set originally in 1974; the 1997 total represented about 25% of the city's annual rainfall. Seas of about 30 ft (9 m) were reported along the Oaxaca coastline while the hurricane made landfall.
Read more about this topic: Hurricane Pauline
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