Meteorological History
Winds aloft in the vicinity of San Andrés, Colombia and the Panama Canal Zone indicated that a low-level circulation developed in the southwestern Caribbean Sea on November 20. According to the Best Track, Tropical Storm Martha formed at 1200 UTC on November 21, with an initial wind speed of 50 mph (85 km/h). Thus, Martha skipped tropical depression status. Centered about 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Bocas Town, Bocas del Toro, the storm remained stationary for 24 hours after tropical cyclogenesis. Martha immediately began deepening, becoming a hurricane at 0000 UTC on November 22. Operationally, the National Hurricane Center initiated advisories at 0300 UTC and erroneously indicated that it was a tropical depression and noted that conditions did not favor significant intensification. Later on November 22, a reconnaissance flight indicated Martha deepened to a compact hurricane, and the tropical cyclone attained a maximum sustained wind speed of 90 mph (150 km/h). Reconnaissance aircraft measured a minimum barometric pressure of 980 mbar (29 inHg), though it was later corrected to 979 mbar (28.92 inHg) in the post-season analysis.
The eye feature was about 46 miles (74 km) wide and it was described as poorly organized, although convection was increasing. After reaching peak intensity, Martha began drifting due south and slowly weakened. At 1200 UTC on November 23, the tropical cyclone diminished to a tropical storm, after winds decreased to 70 mph (110 km/h) and a reconnaissance flight recorded an increased barometric pressure of 999 mbar (29.5 inHg). The storm maintained that intensity, and shortly before 1800 UTC on November 24, Martha made landfall in rural Veraguas Province, Panama, about 10 miles (16 km) east of the mouth of the Calovebora River. Operationally, winds were thought to be only 50 mph (85 km/h) when the storm moved inland. Martha was the only tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in Panama, although it is possible that other Panama tropical cyclones were not detected. The storm rapidly weakened inland, deteriorating to tropical depression status early on November 25, twelve hours before dissipating over southern Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca.
Read more about this topic: Hurricane Martha
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