Hurricane Agatha

Hurricane Agatha was the strongest hurricane to make landfall along the Pacific coast of Mexico in the month of May since records began in 1949. The first named storm and the first hurricane of the 2022 Pacific hurricane season, Agatha originated from a surface trough south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec. It steadily organized into a tropical depression early on May 28 and within hours intensified into Tropical Storm Agatha. Amid favorable environmental conditions, the cyclone underwent rapid intensification on May 29, strengthening into a Category 2 hurricane and reaching peak winds of 110 mph (180 km/h). Though the storm moved west-northwest early on, it curved toward the northeast in response to weakening high pressure over Mexico. On the afternoon of May 30, the hurricane made landfall just west of Puerto Ángel, Oaxaca, with slightly weaker winds of 105 mph (169 km/h).

Agatha weakened rapidly as it moved inland, and soon dissipated. Heavy rain brought by the storm triggered landslides and flash flooding, killing at least 9 and left 6 missing in Oaxaca. Total damage across the state reached 6.39 billion pesos (US$327 million).