Hurricanes and the Making of Caribbean History
The 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane1899 San Ciriaco hurricane hit Puerto Rico, whose economy relied on coffee. The crop had already been facing problems with a decrease in prices and competing countries, but the hurricane wiped out any chance of rebounding from the losses of the previous years. The winds stripped the berries from the trees and the coffee exports of 1899 were only 10 percent of the average export. The losses amounted to 12 million dollars in revenue from 1899 to 1901. This left a dismal outlook on the future for farmers. Sugar was also affected by the storm, although the results were not as drastic. Only a third of the sugar crop could be harvested in 1899, but the soil was reinvigorated. The storm only affected the older haciendas, which would have been retired soon regardless of the hurricane. This allowed for newer technologies to be introduced to the sugar system and U.S. involvement increased. Overall, San Ciriaco helped and hurt the agriculture of Puerto Rico.
2018 Pacific hurricane season
In Mexico, 16 people were killed, due to heavy rains and mudslides triggered by Vicente.
On October 14, the NHC began monitoring an Atlantic tropical wave that had developed an area of low pressure in the southwestern Caribbean Sea. On the next day, the system became better organized southeast of the Yucatán Peninsula, and the storm encountered more favorable conditions as it neared land; a Hurricane Hunter aircraft was scheduled to survey the system for further development. However, organization was hindered as the system quickly made landfall in Belize on the next day. Early on October 17, the tropical wave moved into the East Pacific and quickly organized; however, the system failed to coalesce into a tropical cyclone and became increasingly disorganized on the next day. Early on October 19, a new low-pressure trough developed to the east of the original low, which organized into Tropical Storm Vicente later that day. The original low to the west gradually organized while moving westward, and early on October 20, the system developed into Tropical Depression Twenty-Four-E while situated off the coast of southwestern Mexico. Several hours later, the system strengthened into a tropical storm and was given the name "Willa". Early on October 21, Willa underwent rapid intensification and became a Category 1 hurricane. Further rapid intensification ensued and Willa became a Category 3 hurricane at 21:00 UTC, just twelve hours after reaching hurricane status, becoming the tenth major hurricane of the season. Soon afterward, at 22:30 UTC, Willa intensified further into a Category 4 hurricane, becoming the ninth of the year in the East Pacific. At 15:00 UTC on October 22, Willa reached its peak intensity as the third Category 5 hurricane of the year. Afterward, Willa began to weaken, due to the commencement of an eyewall replacement cycle, weakening to a high-end Category 4 hurricane six hours later. Willa encountered wind shear and weakened further into a Category 3 hurricane by the next day, before making landfall at Category 3 intensity at 1:00 UTC on October 24 (7:00 pm on October 23, local time), in Sinaloa, southwestern Mexico. Following landfall, Willa rapidly weakened, dissipating on October 24 over northeastern Mexico.