Central U.S. Storminess/First Winter Storm of the Season/Hurricane Otis

This week, many in the drought-stricken Central U.S. saw quite a bit of rainfall thanks to multiple weather systems. These systems formed from tropical moisture stemming from the since dissipated Hurricane Norma and multiple cold fronts moving through the U.S.

Parts of the Central Plains saw very heavy rainfall, with some areas seeing flash flooding because of the excessive rainfall. Rainfall amounts ranged between 2-4 inches in most areas, with some locally higher amounts. These amounts, in combination with the ongoing drought (which is extreme in some areas), also caused a good portion of the Mississippi River to rise in water level.

Although we may still be in the fall season, some in the Northern Plains are seeing their very first snowfall of the season. As of October 26, a winter storm is impacting the Rookies and the Northern Plains. Snowfall totals are ranging anywhere from 2 to 16 inches, with locally higher amounts. The highest snowfall total so far as of Thursday is a whooping 19.4 inches in Helena, Montana.

Heavy snowfall in Snoqualmie Pass, WA (image by @SnowqualmiePass via X/Twitter)

There is more snow to come, with some areas forecasted to see an additional 6+ inches, especially in states like North Dakota and Minnesota.

Now, back to the tropics. In the Eastern Pacific, Hurricane Otis made landfall and struck the resort city of Acapulco, Mexico. Now you may be asking why am I talking about a storm that impacted only Mexico since I stated a few weeks ago that this blog is only for weather events within the U.S. The thing is, this storm in particular was unprecedented, in that when it first formed near the coast of Western Mexico, it was only supposed to make landfall in the same area as a mere tropical storm. What transpired in the next 24 hours of its formation was record-breaking in almost all aspects of tropical weather.

On early Wednesday morning, Otis made landfall as a catastrophic category 5 hurricane, less than 24 hours after it became a tropical storm. The storm underwent rapid intensification, going from a tropical storm with winds up to 60 miles per hour to a category 5 hurricane with winds up to 165 miles per hour in less than 24 hours, making it one of the fastest intensifying tropical cyclones in recorded meteorological history. The storm baffled forecasters, as all of the computer models indicated that Otis was to make landfall as either a high-end tropical storm or as a category 1 hurricane.

A street swept with debris in Acapulco (image by Marco Ugarte via AP)

Debris washed up on a beach in Acapulco (image by Marco Ugarte via AP)

Severe damage on a high-rise building in Acapulco (image by Marco Ugarte via AP) 

Rescue and cleanup operations are in effect in Acapulco, where the storm caused severe damage. The storm also claimed the lives of 27 people as of Thursday, a number that is unfortunately likely to increase as the rescues go on.