Tropical Storm Lowell

Tropical Storm Lowell was a moderate tropical storm that developed during the 2008 Pacific hurricane season. The fourteenth tropical cyclone and thirteen named storm of the season, Lowell formed out of a western side of a trough on September 6. It quickly intensified into Tropical Storm Lowell, peaking as a moderate tropical storm. It pass directly over Socorro Island and began a weakening trend. It weakened into depression before landfall in Baja California Sur and dissipated before striking Sonora. It later joined with a frontal boundary and Hurricane Ike which caused severe damage as far inland as Chicago. In all, the storm had caused 6 deaths and $15.5 million damage. Meteorological history The origin of Lowell began from a tropical wave that moved off Africa. The northern portion of the wave would form into Hurricane Hanna in the Atlantic. The southern portion of the wave separated and continued to move westward across the Caribbean and crossed Central America during August 27 and August 28. Later a trough with a weak low pressure area developed over southern Mexico, The area of low pressure was found embedded within a large area of scattered moderate and isolated strong convection. The initial low failed to develop but a new low formed on western side of the trough. A larger cyclonic circulation associated with the trough and induced a gradual increase in deep convection. The low level convection center was temporarily displaced from the convection, and a smaller embedded circulation developed and was eventually detached from the larger circulation. It is estimated that a tropical depression formed at 1200 UTC 6 September when it was centered about south of Manzanillo, Mexico. As convective banding formed, the depression gradually intensified and was upgraded a Tropical Storm Lowell six hours later. A deep-layer anticyclone over Mexico steered Lowell northwestward until September 8. However, strong upper-level winds on the south side of the anticyclone produced strong northeasterly to easterly wind shear over the tropical cyclone for several days. Due to the shear, the low level convection became exposed and sheared. despite this, Lowell slowly strengthened and reached a peak intensity of 50 mph (85 km/h), it then passed near Socorro Island without any known damage. The shear had lessened over the system, but with stable and dry air, the storm begin to weaken.