Landfalling tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific (EPAC) basin

The project seeks to extend the historical record of landfalling cyclones back to 1500, investigate lightning as a proxy for intensification, and utilize high-resolution ocean and atmospheric models (HWRF) to improve storm surge and track forecasts. Initial findings indicate that lightning distribution differs between westward-tracking cyclones and those that re-curve and make landfall, with the latter showing more lightning in outer bands. Preliminary HWRF simulations at 3-km resolution still exhibit significant errors in track, intensity, and landfall location.

• The project's attempt to reconstruct the historical record of landfalling cyclones back to 1750 has been difficult, and while the results may lack climatological utility, they are valuable for anthropological and historical research.
• Lightning distribution varies by cyclone trajectory: those moving mostly westward have lower lightning rates concentrated in the inner core (within 100 km), whereas those that re-curve and make landfall show more lightning in the outer bands (300 to 400 km from the eye) and in the quadrant nearest to land.
• Unlike observations in the North Atlantic basin, the spatial distribution of lightning in Eastern Pacific cyclones does not appear to be organized by the shear vector.
• Initial tests of the HWRF model at 3-km resolution show substantial errors regarding intensity, track, and the specific location of landfall along the coast.

APA

de Raga, G. B., Molina, L. M. F., Appendini, C., García-Acosta, V., Lozoya, R. P., Marín, J., Abarca, S., Rivera-Monroy, V., & Pérez, J. (2013). Landfalling tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific (EPAC) basin. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/CRA_2048.pdf

Chicago

de Raga, Graciela Binimelis, Luis M. Farfán Molina, Christian Appendini, Virginia García-Acosta, Raymundo Padilla Lozoya, Julio Marín, Sergio Abarca, Victor Rivera-Monroy, and Joel Pérez. Landfalling tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific (EPAC) basin. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, 2013. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/CRA_2048.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Raga |first1=Graciela Binimelis |last2=Molina |first2=Luis M. Farfán |last3=Appendini |first3=Christian |last4=García-Acosta |first4=Virginia |last5=Lozoya |first5=Raymundo Padilla |last6=Marín |first6=Julio |last7=Abarca |first7=Sergio |last8=Rivera-Monroy |first8=Victor |last9=Pérez |first9=Joel |title=Landfalling tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific (EPAC) basin |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |date=February 2013 |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/CRA_2048.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{deraga2013landfalling, author = {de Raga, Graciela Binimelis and Molina, Luis M. Farfán and Appendini, Christian and García-Acosta, Virginia and Lozoya, Raymundo Padilla and Marín, Julio and Abarca, Sergio and Rivera-Monroy, Victor and Pérez, Joel}, title = {{Landfalling tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific (EPAC) basin}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2013}, month = feb, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/CRA_2048.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }