Impact
Tropical Storm Larry was one of eight storms to hit Mexico from either the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean, the highest since the record of nine in 1971. The National Hurricane Center expected the storm to produce a storm surge of 3 to 5 feet (.9 to 1.5 m), with high waves on top, though no official surge readings were reported. The highest recorded winds on land were 59 mph (95 km/h) in El Alacrán in Tabasco. The worst of Larry's effects came from its rainfall, peaking at 24.77 inches (629.2 mm) in Upper Juarez in southeastern Mexico. The highest 24-hour rainfall total was 9.6 inches (245.5 mm) in Tortuguero, Chiapas, while several other locations reported over 4 inches (102 mm) in 24 hours.
The flooding damaged more than 21,000 houses across Mexico, in combination with the damage from Eastern Pacific Hurricanes Nora and Olaf. Damage was greatest around the Chiapas capital of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, where over 9,000 houses were affected. The rainfall caused mudslides across the country, hospitalizing two individuals in central Hidalgo. The flooding also caused severe crop damage along Larry's path. Strong wind gusts caused outages to telephone and power services. In all, Larry caused five deaths and $53.6 million in damage (2003 USD, $59 million 2005 USD).
In El Salvador, rainfall from the remnants of Larry—combined with previous rainfall—caused mudslides and flooding, forcing several thousand people to evacuate in San Salvador. The flooding destroyed or damaged hundreds of houses.
Read more about this topic: Tropical Storm Larry (2003)
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